Back to Pegasus
by SuperMom1
Summary: Atlantis is Back on Earth and all anyone wants, is to get Atlantis back to Pegasus. Even though there's plenty of down time on Earth there are those that want revenge for past events. John and Teyla finally get their act together and become a couple. About time too, their friends tell them. Third story in the "Pegasus" series.
1. Chapter 1: Back on Earth

**Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate or any of its characters. I do love to write about them though.**

**This is the third story in my Pegasus series. It follows after," Life in the Pegasus galaxy." Set after Atlantis arrives back on Earth at the end of season five.**

**I really want this to be a John and Teyla story, as I don't think they were given the relationship that they deserved. I thought that it was hinted at throughout the show, but nothing ever came of it. If you're a Sheyla fan then this is for you.**

**Chapter 1: Back on Earth.**

John Sheppard stood on his favourite balcony, overlooking San Francisco Bay. It really was a beautiful sight; the sun was shining, the bay was a brilliant blue and he could see The Golden Gate Bridge off in the distance. He was back on Earth, with familiar sights and sounds around him, but the only place he wanted to be was back in the Pegasus Galaxy.

They had been here for over a week. Woolsey and Teyla had spent much of that time in meetings with the president and the IOA. Teyla had been allowed to take Torren with her, so he had an enormous amount of spare time. He was in charge of Atlantis when Woolsey was away, but there wasn't a lot to do. He'd broken up several arguments between McKay and Zelenka, a lot of the troops had been rotated off the base and he'd spent a lot of time sparring with Ronan.

*Their current predicament of being stuck on Earth had begun two weeks after he had been reinstated to active duty after the whole being tortured by Jerome Radim incident.*

**Todd, their favourite, sometimes ally Wraith had informed them that a group of Wraith had multiple ZPM's and that they planned to use them to create a super hive ship and they were intending to travel to earth; a new rich feeding ground.

The Group were successful in creating the super ship and the Daedalus was despatched to try and destroy it, before it reached earth, but the hive ship was far more powerful than they had expected and caused significant damage to Daedalus. Finding out that the hive ship had picked up a subspace signal from an alternate universe; telling them the exact location of Earth, the Apollo and Sun Tzu ships were sent to stop it. Both of those ships were quickly disabled as well.

It was at that point that he had been recalled to earth, to operate the ancient control chair in Antarctica. Only it wasn't in Antarctica any longer it had been removed and sent to area 51.

Colonel Carter realised at that point the only way to destroy the hive ship was to fit a fleet of F302's with nuclear weapons, a battle ensued with wraith darts over area 51. John's ship was one of the few F302's remaining after the battle over area 51 and he realised that the only way to take out the hive ship was to fly his F302 in to the hive and detonate his nuke on board the hive ship. Setting the weapon to detonate within the hive ship, he knew that there was no way he was getting out of there alive, luckily Rodney and the rest of his team had gated on board the hive. They set the nuke on a timer to remote detonate and escaped through the stargate to Atlantis and he was able to avoid death for another day.

Meanwhile Carson had managed to fly Atlantis back to earth using a new star drive powered by more ZPM's Todd had given them. **

That had been over a week ago and although they were on earth, he'd barley been off Atlantis. He was expected at some fancy event with the president tonight though. He groaned as he remembered he had to wear his dress blues; he really hated wearing them. The only factor that was going to make the event bearable was that Teyla was able to be there with him. As Amelia wasn't going, she had offered to look after Torren for the evening.

Thinking of Teyla made him smile, especially when he thought back to what they had finally managed to do for the first time before they'd left the Pegasus Galaxy. They had made love, it was the most intimate and passionate experience he had ever had. He'd been with woman before and then there was Nancy who he'd been married too for two years, but nothing compared to his first time with Teyla; the love of his life. Just thinking of her got him a little excited. He had been given a hotel room to stay in after the reception tonight and he had all sorts of things planned for Teyla.

He was so deep in thought that it startled him when someone came up and put their arms around him.

"What are you thinking about my love?"

He nestled back into the arms of the love of his Life. "I was thinking about you, Teyla and what I have planned for tonight after the reception."

"Do tell?" She whispered, her lips gently nibbling on his ear.

Before he had a chance to respond a little voice called out, "Daddy."

They both turned around to see a little boy toddling towards them at full pelt, he threw himself in John's arms and snuggled in to his chest.

Torren was seventeen months old and he certainly looked like his mother; he had the same copper skin and deep brown eyes, his hair was a mass of dark brown curls, just like his father Kanaan. John hated to think that Torren wasn't his biological son, but to John he was Torren's father in every way that counted. Luckily Kanaan was out of the picture and a galaxy away on New Athos. He planned on officially adopting Torren after he and Teyla were married, but he hadn't had a chance to ask her as yet. He had caught up with his brother Dave a few days before to ask him for the ring that had belonged to their mother; he was planning on asking her tonight after the reception. His thoughts came back to the present moment, when he heard Teyla's lovely soft voice talking to their son.

"Where is Auntie Jennifer?" Teyla asked him with concern.

"She still coming," Torren replied, a grin splitting his small face.

John took the boy's face in his hands and spoke seriously to him. "T.J.. Do you remember what I told you about running away from you care givers?"

Torren nodded his head and replied. "Yes Daddy, I ave ta be close."

"Okay, I won't mention it again, just remember what I said."

"Daddy, when we see Unca Dabe?"

"We'll catch up with Uncle Dave tomorrow. He is in San Francisco for some reason and he refuses to talk about it." He said directing his comments more at Teyla than Torren.

Just then Dr Jennifer Keller joined them on the balcony, "I see he's found you," she commented trying to catch her breath.

"Sorry Doc, It won't happen again." Looking at Torren he asked, "Will it?"

Torren looked at Jennifer and using his best puppy dog eyes; the ones he'd learnt from John, said "Sowy Aunt Jen."

Jennifer just looked at him and rolled her eyes, she was well aware that John used the same puppy dog eyes to either smooth things over or to get his own way. It was obvious that Torren had learned a trick or two from him.

"That's okay Torren, but please don't run away again?"

At that moment Rodney joined then and started to complain, "Why are you looking after that kid again Jennifer? I have so much work to do and we have to get ready for tonight and I know how long it takes you to get ready."

It was John who answered, "That kid is my son and we have him now, so she's all yours. Try to relax and suck it up McKay if I can put up with going to this thing tonight, so can you."

"Yes, but you're there for a reason….." Rodney spluttered out, before Jennifer interrupted him.

"Come on Rodney, it's time to get ready now." She soothed him, as she led him away by the arm.

"What was that all about?" John asked Teyla, wondering what was going on.

Teyla looked at him with a blank look on her face, "I have no idea." She told him, as she took Torren out of his arms.

She knew very well what Rodney was talking about, but she had been sworn to secrecy, by General O'Neill and Mr Woolsey. John was being awarded the Medal of Honour tonight, as well as getting his promotion to full bird Colonel. The President felt that the world owed him a debt of gratitude for being willing to risk his life to take out the hive ship; of course very few people on the planet knew of the sacrifice that he'd been willing to make for them all.

"I think I'll take Torren to Amelia and go and get ready for tonight." Teyla told him.

"Do you need any help getting dressed?" John asked her, as the corner of his mouth turned up.

"No, but I may need your assistance later to get undressed." She whispered in his ear, with a smirk on her face.

Just thinking about that comment got him a little excited.

She turned and kissed him on the cheek, as she left him alone on the balcony.

He turned and looked at the view again wondering what the evening would hold. One thing he knew was that he would be with Teyla and that after this evening he hoped that Teyla would be his fiancée, he was pretty sure that she would say yes, but what if she said no? What would he do then? What would his life be like without Teyla or Torren? He shuddered at that thought and murmured to himself, "She's going to say yes."

With one final glance at the view off the balcony, he turned and headed to his quarters to get changed into his dress blues for the reception he didn't really want to go to.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

An hour later he met Teyla in the gate room and she looked absolutely gorgeous. She had a long emerald green gown on. It was made of satin, was backless and low cut in the front. Pearls decorated the bodice at the front of the gown; the dress suited her copper skin tone perfectly. Her rich chestnut hair was piled high on top of her head with wispy curls hanging around her cheeks. The dress had a long slit up the side which showed her shapely calves and the high heel strappy sandals that she had on her feet.

He sucked in a breath as he walked up to her and told her, "You look absolutely amazing." He leant closer to her ear and whispered. "And I'm looking forward to taking that dress off you tonight."

She blushed, as she looked at him in his dress blues and thought how handsome he looked, she always liked the way he looked in them.

"You look very handsome tonight John and I can't wait to help you out of that uniform later."

Now it was his turn to be embarrassed, he was saved a moment later when Mr Woolsey approached them. He was dressed in a rather expensive looking suit and tie.

"Richard, how are you this evening?" He asked.

They had both started calling each other by their given names just before they had come to Earth. They had worked together long enough to be totally comfortable in each other's presence.

"I'm well John. Are you all ready for tonight?"

"Yes, as ready as I'll ever be," he replied.

Rodney entered with Jennifer on his arm a few minutes later. Jennifer's dress was almost exactly the same as Teyla's except it was a deep royal blue. Rodney had a black tuxedo and bow tie.

"Good evening Doc. You look lovely tonight." John told her, "and Rodney you scrub up well."

"So John what do you think of Teyla's dress? I took her shopping the other day for some Earth clothes." Keller asked him.

"It's beautiful, thanks for your help Doc." John told her, all the while looking at Teyla.

Ronan wandered into the gate room to wish him good luck. Ronan hadn't been allowed to leave Atlantis as yet. No one was quite sure of him, even though John had assured the IOA that he wasn't a threat.

"Hey Sheppard have fun tonight," Ronan grumbled.

"Thanks big guy." He said, giving Ronan a slap on the back.

Carson was the last to arrive; he also had a black tuxedo and bow tie on.

"Hey Carson, you scrub up pretty well." John told him, a grin splitting his face.

"Cheeky bugger." Carson shot back, with a smile on his face.

"Okay let's get going." Woolsey stated, as he walked out of the gate room to the balcony, where they would catch the boats to the city.

The others followed and before long they were all seated in boats heading to San Francisco.

The view at sunset was even more beautiful than the day time view, the sky was a mix of red's and pinks, little white clouds scurried across the sky, as the sun sank low on the horizon. Atlantis looked beautiful bathed in an eerie glow.

John admired the view, but although it was a really beautiful sight, he really wondered what was going on in the Pegasus Galaxy and he knew they needed to be back there. Pegasus was where Atlantis belonged, it was where he belonged.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

They entered the grand ballroom and were shown to their table. The room was opulent with large tables surrounding a huge dance floor, there was beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and a stage was set up at one end of the room with a band, playing soft background music. John sat in his seat with Teyla sitting next to him; he was looking around and taking it all in. He didn't really want to be here tonight, so he figured if he just sat at his table and didn't leave it, he would be okay.

The others didn't sit down at that point. Rodney took Jennifer too meet some of scientists he knew, Carson went to talk to Dr Lam from Stargate command and Woolsey went to talk to some members of the IOA.

Teyla put her arm around him and asked, "Are you alright John, can I get you anything?"

"I'll be fine if you just stay with me." He replied.

"John, Teyla it's great to see you again." They turned around to see Colonel Samantha Carter standing there, with General Jack O'Neill.

Teyla was the first to greet them, "Sam, General, it is so good to see you both."

"General, Colonel," John stood up and shook both their hands.

"At ease, Lt. Colonel." General O'Neill told him, emphasising his rank.

"Thank you, sir." John told him looking uncomfortable.

"Are you ready for tonight John?" Sam asked him.

"I'm here aren't I," he replied, not really sure what the big deal was or why he was here.

"Don't get too uptight, enjoy yourself a little." Sam told him, as she left with the General.

John was still looking around the room when he saw a tall woman with long dark hair; she was wearing a very tight fitting black dress with a long slit up the side. She looked to be in her early forties and she was heading his way.

"Ummm … Teyla, did I tell you that I had an ex-wife, because I do and here she comes."

Teyla looked to see the tall dark haired woman heading their way; she studied her and came to the conclusion that she was very beautiful, but then of course she would be, John was a very handsome man.

Before the woman has a chance to speak, John spoke introducing her to Teyla. Although he didn't have a clue how to introduce her, was she his girlfriend or his partner, he hoped that after tonight that she would be his fiancée, but she wasn't as yet.

"Hello Nancy, I'd like you to meet Teyla." He went for the easiest and most basic introduction.

Nancy looked at the woman, wondering if there was anything going on between her and John, but then decided that it was none of her business.

"Pleased, to meet you Teyla." She said, shaking Teyla's hand.

"Likewise," Teyla replied, all the while looking her up and down.

"Are you still working for homeland security then Nancy?" John asked her.

"Yes that is why I'm here tonight. Although I do not know all the details as to what is going on tonight. It obviously has something to do with the air force, that's all that General O'Neill would tell me."

"Do you know what is going on John?" Nancy asked him.

"I haven't got a clue," he replied, winking at her.

"Apparently, it's all top secret and hush hush. I'm guessing you're involved in some way John."

He just looked at the drink in his hand, not wanting to answer the question.

"That's what I thought." She said, kissing him on the cheek and walking away.

"I can see why you would be attracted to her, she is quite beautiful." Teyla told him, and grabbed his hand.

"Yes, but she is in the past and there is only one woman I want to be with."

"Do I know this woman?" Teyla asked, hoping that it was her.

"Yes, she is the most beautiful woman in the room tonight, hell she's the most beautiful woman in any room she's in."

"Would, you like to point her out to me. What is she wearing?" Teyla teased.

"She is wearing the most beautiful emerald green satin dress, she has the most amazing copper skin, the biggest brown eyes and she is sitting right here in front of me."

He leant down and lightly grazed her lips with his. He wasn't usually one for public displays of affection, but this was Teyla and he wanted the whole world to know how he felt about her.

They had told Woolsey about their relationship before they had left Pegasus. Woolsey didn't have a problem with it and had cleared it with stargate command and the IOA. Their friends were over the moon that they'd managed to get their act together and express their feelings for one and other.

As he continued to brush his lips over Teyla's, he heard someone behind him. His heart quickened when the voice spoke.

"Hello little brother, what are you doing here?"

He turned around to face the person belonging to the voice.

"Dave," He squawked out.

**TBC…**

**Please review I'd love to know what you think.**

***The being tortured by Jerome Radim incident, can be read about in my story "Life in the Pegasus galaxy."**

****Events in this paragraph happened in Stargate Atlantis Season 5 episode 20, the television series.**


	2. Chapter 2: The reception

**Chapter 2: The reception**

_As he continued to brush his lips over Teyla's, he heard someone behind him. His heart quickened when the voice spoke._

"_Hello little brother, what are you doing here?"_

_He turned around to face the person belonging to the voice._

"_Dave," He squawked out._

David Sheppard was a tall man, taller than John. He had the same dark brown hair; only Dave's was meticulously styled, unlike John's that stuck up all over the place even when combed. He was dressed in a dark Armani suit and an expensive looking tie.

John cleared his throat and tried again.

"Dave, what are you doing here?"

"Sheppard industries have been working with the stargate program to try and boost the efficiency of the F302's." Dave told him, with a big grin on his face.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" John asked, looking flabbergasted.

"John I had no idea you were working for the Stargate program until I met General O'Neil last week."

"Dave, how much do you know about what I've been doing for the last six years?"

"General O'Neill or Jack; as he likes to be called by the civilians working for the stargate program told me everything." Dave replied, looking a little sheepish.

Remembering Teyla beside him, he introduced her. "Dave this is Teyla."

"Hello Teyla, you're as lovely as John described." He bent down and kissed her hand.

Teyla blushed, as she replied, "Thankyou Mr Sheppard."

"Call me David or Dave is okay, as you're family." He patted her hand and then continued," I understand that you have son, tell me about him?"

"His name is Torren John, he is seventeen months old and he is very smart and adventurous like his Dad. He has also perfected the lost puppy dog look, when he wants to get his own way." Teyla told him.

"The lost puppy dog look, John is a master at that. I didn't think that John was his father. Is he?" Dave asked.

It was John answered. "No Dave I'm not, but I might as well be, I have practically raised him along with Teyla, while his _father_ has spent as much time as possible away from him!" He said, with bitterness in his voice.

"Although John isn't Torren's biological father, he is his Dad in every way that counts, he is there for him when he's crying, he's there for him at bed time and he's there for him when he hurts himself, just like every Dad should be." She told Dave and smiled at John, while rubbing the back of his hand.

"Where is his father now Teyla?" Dave asked, cautiously.

"He stayed back in the Pegasus Galaxy, on New Athos, with my fellow Athosians." Teyla told him.

"You're an alien from the Pegasus Galaxy?" Dave asked her, a little freaked out by the news.

John answered for her. "She's as human as you and I Dave and so is T.J. even though he is Athosion too."

"How is that possible?" Dave asked them.

John sighed and gave him a run down on the ancients and their seeding program which covered two galaxies millions of years ago.

"Have you seen a stargate Dave?" John asked him, with a glint of mischief in his eye.

"Yes I have, but I've never been through one." Dave told him.

"Well you're in for a treat, when you finally get the opportunity. There are so many planets out there overflowing with human life and very similar to Earth."

At that point Rodney and Jennifer came back to the table.

Rodney looked at Dave and introduced himself. "I'm Doctor Rodney McKay and you are?"

"I'm David Sheppard, John's older brother Doctor. Are you John's Doctor? Do you spend all your time patching John up?" He looked at John remembering all the times he'd needed a Doctor as a Kid.

"No I'm not that kind of Doctor, I'm an astrophysicist."

"I'm the one who spends a good deal of my time patching him up when he's injured, which is far too often for my liking." Jennifer answered. "I am that kind of Doctor and I'm Dr Jennifer Keller."

Carson came back to the table at moment. "Aye that would be me as well; we need two doctors to keep the lad all in one piece, as he spends far too much time in the infirmary. Hi I'm Dr Carson Beckett."

"He was always getting injured as a kid as well, I remember the day he jumped off the roof of the stables convinced that he could fly, he ended up in hospital for three months in a cast from his foot right up to his thigh." Dave told them.

"There was a time six months ago when…." Carson started another story, before he was interrupted by John.

"Hey do you mind not ganging up on me? My list of Injuries is not very interesting; tell us about your involvement in the stargate program Dave?" John asked him, turning the conversation away from himself.

Dave was saved when General O'Neill stood up on stage and spoke.

"Welcome everyone and thank you all for coming, dinner is about to be served and after dinner there is some awards to be given out by the President, to some very important people. After that if there is time you can dance the night away. I hope you all have a wonderful evening and enjoy the food."

Dave looked at John and told him, "I'll catch up with you later little brother."

The others all looked at John for an explanation.

"What?" he asked, staring back at them.

"You have a brother who works for the stargate program?" Carson asked, looking shocked.

"I knew you had a brother, but why didn't you tell me he worked for the stargate program?" Rodney asked, looking a little insulted that he hadn't been told.

"I only found out myself tonight McKay, So quit looking at me liked that." John growled at him.

"Okay let us all settle down and have something to eat?" Teyla said, with a soothing tone.

At that moment the waiters arrived with their meals. John looked at the enormous steaks with his mouth watering. He hadn't had a steak in what seemed like forever and he was going to enjoy this.

They ate in silence for a while and then the conversation turned to what they thought was going to happen to Atlantis.

"How are the talks going with the IOA Teyla?" Carson asked her, in between mouthfuls of food.

"Mr Woolsey and General O'Neil believe that Atlantis belongs in the Pegasus Galaxy, but it appears that most of the IOA do not. They believe that Atlantis should be here to protect Earth against the Wraith in case they decide to attack again."

"They don't care what happens to the people of the Pegasus Galaxy?" Jennifer asked, with concern.

"What they don't realise is that even if Atlantis stays on Earth, it won't be able to protect it. Earth's best defence is to stop the Wraith before they have a chance to get anywhere close, as we have on numerous occasions in the past." John explained to them.

"General O'Neill has explained this to them, but they do not want to listen. Atlantis is a prize to them and they do not want to let it go." Teyla told the group.

"What does the President say?" Rodney asked.

"He is listening at the moment and will make a decision when he's had enough time to think of all possible outcomes for Atlantis staying or going." Teyla told them.

"It may take months, so get ready to enjoy a long stay on Earth." Rodney told them, pessimistically.

Dessert and coffee was served before they could discuss the topic any further. Dessert consisted of a rich chocolate cheesecake with brandy cream, topped with luscious red strawberries.

"I hope they haven't put any citrus in this? You know what happens when I eat citrus." Rodney complained loudly.

"I'm sure it's fine Rodney and I have your epi pen with me in case you have an allergic reaction to anything." Jennifer soothed him, while rolling her eyes.

"If you don't want it I'll eat it." John teased.

"No, it's okay I need to eat for my hypoglycaemia." Rodney told John, glaring at him.

"You eat it if you want to lad; John has enough food of his own." Carson defended Rodney.

Before John could speak, General O'Neill stood up and started to speak.

"Ladies and Gentlemen I hope you have enjoyed your dinner. It's now time to get down to the purpose of tonight's event. To honour some very important people with promotions and awards, I will call on the President, our Commander and chief to hand out the awards."

The President stepped forward and started to speak, John zoned out at this point. The President continued to hand out award after award. John knew a few of these people, but had no idea who most of them were. After the awards were handed out, he moved on to the promotions. Some of his men were being promoted tonight, so he paid a little bit more attention. This all seemed to go on forever. Just when the whole thing seemed to be over the President had one last award to hand out.

"The award I am about to present goes to a young man who has put his life on the line time and again for the good of people, most of them complete strangers to him. Just a week ago he was willing to sacrifice his life for millions of people. I would like to present this Medal of Honour to Lt Col John Sheppard."

John almost missed it, but when he saw that Teyla was smiling at him and standing up beside him, he knew that his name had been announced. He stood up and started to head to the stage at the end of the room all eyes on him. He felt nervous, but he smiled as he walked through the crowd to the stage.

Walking to the stage he had to laugh to himself, the President was calling him a young man. He was hardly young any longer, as he was over forty now.

Upon reaching the stage he climbed the stairs and bowed to the President, who placed the medal around his neck. He stood up and shook the President's hand and thanked him. He was about to leave when General O'Neill Stopped him.

The President spoke again. "This young man before you has performed his duty for his country without wanting recognition or reward; he has gone above and beyond his rank of Lt Col for no other reason than it was the right thing to do. So it is my great pleasure and privilege to promote, Lt Col John Sheppard to Col John Sheppard, with all the privileges and rewards, which accompany that rank."

"Colonel Carter and General O'Neill walked up beside him and pinned his eagle insignia on to the shoulder epaulets on his uniform.

"Congratulations Colonel Sheppard. It's about time you started calling me Sam, now that we're the same rank." Colonel Carter told him.

"Congratulations John, you deserve it." General O'Neill told him, before shaking his hand.

John stood up and looked out at the crowd of people all applauding for him. He spied Teyla in the crowd and that gave him the courage to speak.

"I'm not usually one for making long speeches, so I'll try and make this short."

He looked up and Teyla who smiled at him, giving him the courage to continue. "I want to thank you all for coming tonight, but there are a few people I want to thank specifically. I want to thank General O'Neill for believing in me even when many other people had written me off as a failure; I want to thank Sam Carter and Richard Woolsey for going into bat for me on numerous occasions as well. The last people I want to thank are my family, Dr Carson Beckett and Dr Jennifer Keller, for putting me back together, after far too many injuries to count. Dr Rodney McKay, thank you for putting up with me, when I was impatient or unkind to you. To my best buddy Ronan who couldn't be here tonight. To David my brother who was able to be here tonight. It's been great to build a relationship with you again over the last twelve months. Finally to Teyla, the love of my life, I don't know how I would have survived the last six years without you. Thankyou I love you all."

John was trying to choke back tears as he left the stage. Before, he had a chance to reach his table and friends, Dave grabbed him and pulled him into a tight bear hug.

John felt uncomfortable with Dave hugging him so tightly; his father was against them showing affection or emotion. "Real men don't cry." His father always told them. What had happened to him over the last few months? Ever since he and Teyla had gotten together, his emotions were all over the place.

"I'm so proud of you John, I'm sure dad would have been if he'd been alive to witness this."

"I just don't know Dave." John said through his tears.

"When I said that he regretted what happened to you right up until the end I meant it. He would have been proud of you." Dave told him, holding him tight.

"Thank you." John whispered, as Dave let go of him.

"Go and enjoy the rest of the evening with your friends, I'll catch up with you and Teyla tomorrow night." Dave told him, his face beaming with pride.

"See you tomorrow Dave." John said, waving to him and heading over to his table.

When he arrived at the table Teyla threw herself into his arms and kissed him passionately on the lips.

"I'm so proud of you John."

"I'm proud of you to Sheppard, but don't expect me to kiss you on the lips." Rodney teased and pulled him into a big hug, slapping him on the back.

Jennifer hit Rodney and gave John a hug and a kiss on his cheek. "Congratulations Colonel."

Carson shook his hand and pulled him in for a hug, offering his congratulations as well, before Woolsey walked up and shook his hand.

"Where the hell have you been all night Mr Woolsey?" Rodney asked him.

"I was talking to James Coolidge from the IOA. It would seem that he agrees that Atlantis should go back to Pegasus."

"Now there's a surprise." John said, rolling his eyes.

"Yes I'm surprised myself, but he is only one man. I'm afraid that the other members of the IOA will need more convincing." Woolsey stated, looking around at them all.

"Well if you don't mind I'm going to ask the most beautiful woman in the room to dance." Rodney said, looking at Jennifer. Who knew that Rodney had a romantic side?

"Hey McKay, you can't ask Teyla to dance." John told Rodney, grinning.

"That's, Very funny, Sheppard." He told John, grabbing Jennifer's hand and walking away.

John looked at Teyla and took her hand. Leading her to the dance floor, he asked, "Would you give me the honour of dancing with the most beautiful woman in the room tonight?"

Teyla just smiled as he held her tight. This is right where she wanted to be, in John's arms forever. She was looking forward to tonight after the reception, when they could be together with no interruption. A tingle went down her spine, when she thought of their bodies connected in the most intimate way a man and woman could be together. She loved this man with every fibre of her being. She thought of all the years that she had wanted to be with him and here she was in his arms. She sighed with satisfaction.

John was holding Teyla close and thinking about tonight after the reception, he was going to ask her to be his wife, he had felt the ring in his pocket all night and he couldn't wait for her to be his fiancée. Normally he was hopeless at expressing his emotions, but with Teyla everything seemed that much easier. He leant down to kiss her neck; in the little spot that sent her wild. He couldn't wait the get out of this place and spend the night with Teyla with no interruptions. They had only become a couple a few months ago, but he had loved her ever since he had met her, all those years ago on Athos and now he planned on spending the rest of his life with her. He leant down and grazed her lips with his. She responded by gently nibbling on his bottom lip.

They spent the rest of the evening dancing close; when their lips met they would stare into each other's eyes for a few seconds and then they would hold each other close again. They were the only two people in the world at that moment.

They had no idea how long that they held each other on the dance floor, but before they knew it Rodney was tapping John on the shoulder,

"Hey lovebirds, the night's over it's time to go." Rodney teased.

They both looked up at him and Teyla asked him. "What time is it?"

"It's 12am and time to go." Rodney told them again.

"Really, time sure flies when you're having fun." John whispered, staring into Teyla's eyes.

"Okay you too have a great night and don't do anything I wouldn't do." Carson told them, with a huge grin on his face.

He was happy for his friend's it was time that they had some happiness. They had both endured a lot over the years he had known them. The Pegasus galaxy was a harsh place, but at least his friends had found each other.

John and Teyla said goodnight to their friends and John took her hand and led her up to the hotel room that he had been given for the night.

**TBC…**

**Please review, as I would really like to know what people think.**


	3. Chapter 3: A time for celebration

**Warning: This chapter contains a love scene.**

**I never thought I would write a love scene, but I just couldn't help myself. After all it is John and Teyla we're talking about here.**

**Here goes, I hope you enjoy it.**

**Chapter 3: A time for celebration.**

All their friends had been given rooms at the hotel for the evening as well, so after saying goodnight to them at the elevator; again, Teyla and John headed to their room.

John had ordered some champagne to be left in the fridge for them, because he was hoping that they would have something to celebrate.

As they entered to room Teyla exclaimed, "This is beautiful John, I cannot believe that this is all for us. Look at the _size _of that bed!"

"That gives us plenty of room for me to do all those things I planned to do with you tonight Teyla." He whispered to her, raising his eyebrow and kissing her lips.

Teyla responded by kissing him back forcefully and nibbling on his bottom lip. Her hand started to move under his shirt to run up and down his back.

John couldn't help himself and started to undo the zipper at the back of her dress. He felt a twitch below his belt and knew he had to rein it in or he would never be able to propose to Teyla.

He removed his hand and pulled up the zipper on the back of her dress and pulled his lips away from hers. He sat down on the bed and tried to gain some control.

Teyla looked at him with concern in her eyes, "What is wrong John? She asked him, feeling a little confused, as to why he had pulled away from her.

"I'm fine sweetie, but if we continue down that path now, I'll never be able to ask you the question I've wanted to ask you since the first time we met."

He knelt beside her a pulled out a small box and opened it, looking into Teyla's eyes he gently spoke to her, "Teyla Emmagan, I have loved you since the first time we met on Athos all those years ago. I was a fool for not telling you how I felt about you a long time ago and I almost lost you for it. Now that we're together I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Teyla Emmagan will you be my wife and spend forever with me?"

She just sat there looking stunned; she had never heard John speak so eloquently.

John looked at her with a pleading look in his eyes. She knew she had to answer him or he would think that she didn't want to be his wife.

"Yes, John Sheppard I will marry you. I have also loved you from the moment we first met on Athos. I feared that you didn't feel the same way, but now we're together there is nothing I want more than to spend forever by your side, as your wife."

She looked down at the ring and thought that it was the most beautiful ring that she had ever seen. It was white gold with a vine like pattern all the way around and there was small exquisite diamonds embedded in the pattern all the way around as well.

John took the ring and slipped it on her finger. It was a perfect fit. They lent in for a passionate kiss, before John jumped up and proclaimed. "Now we celebrate."

He strode over the mini fridge in the corner and pulled out a bottle of champagne.

He popped the champagne cork and poured its contents into two wine glasses, handing one to Teyla, he prepared to make a toast.

"To my fiancée, the most beautiful woman in the universe, I love you with all my heart and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you." He spoke, with tears in his eyes.

Teyla looked at John and wondered why he had suddenly become so good at expressing his emotions. She really liked the new John, but she couldn't work out what had happened to make him so emotional.

She took in a deep breath before broaching the subject, "John you seem to be quite emotional lately, is there anything wrong?"

Sitting next to her on the bed, he looked into her eyes, before speaking. "When I flew my F302 into that hive ship last week, I really thought that it was the end for me and that I would never see you or Torren again. When I found out that you guys were on board and that I might just get out alive, I vowed that I would never keep my emotions bottled up again. My dad always taught me to be strong and to not show emotions. I wasn't even allowed to cry at my own mother's funeral. I realise now how wrong he was. Having a good cry makes you feel so much better."

She pulled him in close and just held him for a few moments and then announced that she needed a shower and was going to slip into something more comfortable. She finished her champagne and put her wine glass down, before heading across the room to the shower.

"Do you need any help in there?" John asked, with a glint in his eye.

"No I think I will be fine if you just undo my dress."

He walked over and slowly undid the back of her dress his hands grazing her soft silky skin, as the zipper came down.

She turned and kissed him on the cheek, "Thank you John?" She whispered before heading to the bathroom.

John refilled their glasses and took of his uniform, hanging his Jacket, tie and pants up; he tossed his shirt on to the floor, before climbing under the sheets in just his boxer shorts.

He was dozing off when the bathroom door opened and Teyla entered the room. He looked up to the most incredible sight; Teyla was wearing a pair of black lacy knickers and a matching bra that was all she was wearing.

All he could do was stare at the beautiful woman before him, he felt himself grow hard, as she wondered over and hopped between the sheets to join him.

When their Teyla's lips touched his, he felt himself growing even harder and groaned. His hands travelled to touch her golden mounds and soon his lips followed, licking and sucking on her peaks, his hands continued to explore. Pulling her lace panties off, his fingers found her core. She was wet and hot and more than waiting for his aching erection, but he wanted to get her all riled up, so she was begging for him to enter her. He slid his fingers in and out until she was moaning beside him.

At this point Teyla moved his hand away from her core and pulled his boxers off slowly and started to tease and stroke his erection, with Teyla running one hand through his chest hair and the other stroking his length, he started to moan. He knew he wasn't going to last much longer.

"Teyla," he breathed out, as he removed her hand from his length.

He flipped her on to her back so he was on top of her and slid his aching erection into her warm moist centre. He stopped for a moment feeling her tight around him and looked into her eyes and all he saw there was sheer delight.

Teyla felt him enter her and her eyes lit up, as he filled her completely, then he started moving in and out slowly at first, but before too long he began to pick up the pace, over and over he thrusted, until she reached her climax and fell over the edge.

John felt her shudder when her release finally came, but he wasn't finished. He started thrusting harder and deeper over and over, until he shuddered in his own completion.

"Teyla that was wonderful." He told her, still sheathed inside her. He started planting tiny kisses on his face, before he pulled out of her and lay next to her, placing his arm around her and holding her tight.

"John I have never felt so completely fulfilled, thank you."

"My pleasure sweetie, there is no place I'd rather be than to be here with you right now." He whispered in her ear.

They lay in each other's arms, totally satisfied and fell into a deep sleep.

When John awoke the next morning he felt Teyla's are across his chest and her arm up near her face. He just lay there wondering if he should wake her and continue on with last night's activities. They had awoken a few times throughout the night and made love, before falling asleep again.

He had one free hand, so he started to move it up her shapely leg; she rolled on her back, so that he had access to her inner thigh. He started moving his hands into the curls protecting her inner core. Before they knew it they were making love again. When they were finally satisfied they lay in each other's arms and fell asleep again.

They were awoken half an hour later, by someone knocking on their door. They looked up in surprise, before Rodney spoke.

"Come on sleepyheads it's time for breakfast?" He shouted at them.

"We will be there soon Dr McKay." Teyla told him through the door.

They looked at each other and kissed quickly, before heading to the shower together.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Thirty minutes later, John and Teyla entered the dining room, to see all of their friends already eating breakfast.

Entering John took Teyla's hand covering up her engagement ring. They headed over to the table and John pulled out a chair beside Jennifer and helped Teyla sit down. Taking the seat beside Teyla he sat down as well.

"Good morning everyone, how are you all this fine morning." John had the hugest grin on his face.

"Why are you so happy this morning laddie?" Carson asked.

John smiled down at Teyla and she nodded at him, giving him permission to share their news.

John took a deep breath and grabbed her hand, "I have an announcement to make." Pausing, he looked into her eyes, before finishing his sentence. "I have asked Teyla to be my wife and she's said yes, so we're officially engaged."

There were cheers all around the table.

"About, _bloody_ time!" Carson exclaimed, as he walked over to the couple and shook John's hand, before pulling Teyla into a hug.

"Well done Sheppard." Rodney told them, stuffing his mouth full of food.

"Let's have a look at the ring?" Jennifer asked, grabbing her hand.

"Oh, it's _absolutely_ beautiful!" Jennifer exclaimed.

Before anyone else had a chance to say anything John asked. "Where's Woolsey this morning?"

"He's had a meeting to attend with Coolidge and O'Neill, so he left early." Rodney told him, in between mouthfuls.

"Should I have not gone with him?" Teyla asked.

"No Woolsey decided to let you sleep, as he said that he could manage it himself." Carson told her.

John spoke up at that moment and asked Teyla, "Would you like something to eat sweetie?"

"Thank you, honey. Could you get me some pancakes and a cup of tea?"

John kissed her on the cheeks and walked over to the buffet. He came back a few minutes later with trays laden with food.

He handed Teyla her food and tea and sat down next to her and began to eat his pancakes and drink his coffee.

"Are you two going to be all lovey, dovey now?" Rodney asked, them while rolling his eyes.

"Yes Rodney we are. I want the world to know how I feel about my fiancée." John told him, while glaring at him.

Sensing an argument Jennifer changed the subject, "So where are you going to live?"

"We have not really given that much thought." Teyla told her, looking at John.

"There is some family quarters over near the south pier, close to a transporter, so we'll have easy access to the control room." He told her, staring into her eyes.

"Okay stop staring at each other, you're acting like a couple of love sick teenagers." Rodney chastised them.

John and Teyla smiled at each other, before continuing to eat their breakfast.

"So what's on everyone's agenda for today?" Rodney asked them, downing his third cup of coffee for the morning.

"Well I have to get back to playing the boss, for the rest of the day and then Teyla, Torren and I are going to catch up with Dave tonight." John told him.

"I am going to pick Torren up from Amelia and then I think I'll look at the family quarters that John has mentioned." Teyla told them.

"Well I'm on duty in the infirmary." Carson told them.

"What are you doing Rodney?"

"Well seeing as Jennifer is off duty this afternoon I thought that I would take her for a walk around San Francisco." Rodney told them, while taking Jennifer's hand.

"You, walk around San Francisco?" John choked on his food, at the idea of Rodney walking very far.

"I didn't say it would be a long walk." Rodney shot back at him.

"That is a wonderful idea Rodney." Jennifer told him, kissing his cheek.

The group continued to laugh and joke with each other until it was time to leave. They headed up to their rooms to pack before it was time to check out.

Once inside their room John looked at the bed and then raised his eyebrow. "Do you think we have enough time to you know…?"

"We will make time," Teyla told him, before throwing him on the bed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

An hour later John and Teyla joined the others in the lobby, ready to check out of the hotel. After handing their keys back to the reception desk they walked out in to a bright sunny day. While John, Teyla and Carson headed back to the waiting boats Rodney grabbed Jennifer's hand and started off on their walk.

Arriving back in Atlantis they each went their separate ways, Carson headed for the infirmary after tossing his bags in his quarters. Teyla and John went looking for Amelia and Torren.

John knew that he would have to be on duty soon, but checking in with Major Lorne and finding out that there were no problems that required his immediate attention, he headed off with Teyla.

Teyla tapped her radio and spoke, "Teyla to Amelia, come in please."

"_Teyla, I'm so glad you're back, I've just taken Torren to the infirmary, he has a temperature and an earache. He's asking for his Momma and Daddy. Is Colonel Sheppard with you?"_

"Yes he is and we are on our way, Teyla out."

"What's up?" John asked, her with contain.

"Torren's in the infirmary, with a fever and an earache." She told him.

"Okay let's go." There was urgency in his voice, as he grabbed her hand and headed to the infirmary.

As they approached the infirmary they heard Torren screaming loudly, Marie came out to meet them. "I was just about to contact you. Carson is in with Torren now."

They both rushed in to find Carson trying to examine Torren. The boy was struggling and sobbing over and over, "Want Daddy."

John rushed in and spoke softly to the boy. "I'm here pal; everything is going to be okay." He soothed him and picked him up.

Torren snuggled his face in to John's shoulder and put his hand to his ear. "Ear urt Daddy."

"I know Pal, but you need to let Uncle Carson, take a look at it." He soothed him, rubbing his back.

"Kay." Was all he said, as Carson shone a light in his ear and took his temperature.

"Temperatures up a wee bit and it definitely looks like he has an ear infection." Carson told them.

"Does he have to stay here?" Teyla asked, with concern.

"I'll keep him here for observation for a few hours and see how he is then." Carson told them. "I'll just get some medicine for him and you can sit with him if you like."

When Carson left the room to find some antibiotics for Torren, John lay him on the bed and continued to rub circles on his back. Teyla sat beside his bed and held his hand, soothing him as she spoke to him.

Carson came back a few minutes later and sat Torren up and gave him his medicine. He screwed his face up, because he didn't like the taste.

"Uncle Carson wants you to stay here for a few hours, so mommy is going to sit with you. I will be back in a little while, to sit with you as well okay." John told him, before kissing him on the cheek and leaving the infirmary.

When John reached the hallway he tapped his radio. "Sheppard to Lorne, do you read me?"

"_Go ahead Colonel and by the way congratulations on your promotion."_

"Thanks Lorne. Do you know when Woolsey is due back?"

"_He should be back in about an hour or so."_

"Okay can you hold the fort until then? T.J. is sick and I'd like to sit with him for a while."

"_No problems, Lorne out"_

"Thanks Lorne, Sheppard out."

John headed back to the infirmary to sit with his son. Teyla was sitting on one side of him holding his hand, so he sat on the other and held his other hand.

"Daddy you back." Torren whimpered.

"That's right pal, go to sleep and your Momma and I will be right here when you wake up."

Torren closed his eyes surrounded by his parents and drifted off to sleep.

Two hours later Carson came in to check Torren over, his fever had gone down, and so Carson announced that when he woke up they could take him home. Carson gave them some antibiotics and some medicine for Torren to take and then left the room.

Ten minutes later the little boy awoke and John asked him, "How do you feel buddy?"

"Better, go home now?"

"Yes darling, we can take you home." Teyla said, picking him up.

They walked out of the infirmary as a family; they headed over to Teyla's quarters and put Torren in his bed.

Teyla looked at John and spoke, "You should still go and meet Dave tonight, he is your brother and you haven't really seen much of him for years."

"Are you sure Teyla?" He asked, with concern for her and Torren.

"Of course, you go and have a good time. Just make sure that when you get back you come to my quarters." She whispered in his ear.

"Thanks Teyla and tomorrow we'll pick out our family home, okay."

She nodded as he kissed her lips and left the room.

John still had a few hours left before he was due to meet Dave, so he headed to his office to catch up on some paperwork.

Two hours later he left to put on his suit to go and meet Dave for yet another fancy dinner. He sighed, he really hated to dress up and go to fancy restaurants. That was Dave's scene really and he'd had enough of it as a child to last him a lifetime, but Dave was his brother and as Teyla had said, he hadn't seen him much in years. I'll have to suck it up he thought; because if he had his way, before he knew it Atlantis would be on its way back to the Pegasus Galaxy.

**TBC…**


	4. Chapter 4: A pleasant evening

**Chapter 4: A pleasant evening.**

John exited the boat and walked down the road to meet Dave, at the fancy restaurant, where they were going to have dinner. Luckily Dave liked his steak, so they were going to supposedly the best steak house in San Francisco. It was a nice evening, so John didn't mind the walk.

He walked along in silence admiring the view; the sunset was a beautiful as it was the night before and there was a gentle breeze, which was a welcome relief from the heat of the day.

He sighed, happy to be off of Atlantis and thrilled to be able to spend some time with his brother. They'd had a good relationship as kids, but as Dave got older he'd become more interested in the running of the business and had less time to spend with him. Then when he'd wanted to join the Air force, Dave has sided with their father and then after the problems in Afghanistan and the argument that ensued with his father, Dave again sided with his father. They didn't even e. mail each other for five years after that.

*When their father had died two years ago, he'd felt the need to go the funeral, to try and find some sense of peace in the fact that he hadn't spoken to his father for five years. Dave approached him at the funeral and asked him what his expectation was, Dave being Dave thought that he'd only come to the funeral after an inheritance. He'd told Dave that he had nothing to worry about and then he'd left to chase a human form replicator on Earth.*

After the threat to Earth had been neutralised, he'd gone to see Dave to talk. They had cleared up a few things, so that when he'd gone back to Atlantis, they at least had a place to start. Over the months that followed, he had communicated with Dave often and one of the first things Dave had told him was that he had indeed inherited from their Father. Thinking about the beach house in Maui that his Father had left him made him smile. It was situated near the beach and that was where he wanted to marry Teyla.

Ten minutes later he arrived at the restaurant where he was supposed to meet Dave. Dave wasn't there as yet, so he stood and waited.

A few minutes later arrived dressed in another expensive suit, only this time he didn't have a tie on. John looked down at his own outfit; a pair of neat chinos, a short sleeved shirt and a pair of black dress shoes. Not exactly up to Dave's standards.

"Hello, little brother." Dave announced, walking up and putting his arms around him.

"You do know that Dad would never have liked all these hugs we keep exchanging. He would have said that it shows weakness." John told Dave, hugging him back.

"Yes I know it's not exactly manly is it? But I have changed since Dad died and I want to have the relationship we had as kids again." Dave told him.

Dave looked around at that point and asked "Where are Teyla and Torren tonight?"

"Sorry I should have rang you, but T.J has an ear infection and isn't very well. Teyla insisted that I come alone."

"No problems I was looking forward to meeting the little guy in person." Dave told him.

"Let's go and eat shall we?" John suggested.

"Sure." Dave replied, leading the way through the restaurant doors.

When they were seated and they had ordered a huge steak and roast potato each.

Dave started in conversation, "So little brother did you ask Teyla?"

"Yeah," he replied, dreamily.

"And?"

"She said yes."

"That's fantastic John; do you have any idea when or where you'd like to get married?"

"I was thinking in Maui, just in front of my beach house, around sunset. We haven't actually discussed a date as yet, but I'd like it to be before Atlantis leaves Earth and who knows how long we'll be here."

"Awesome, I know that the bride and groom do most of the planning, but if you need any help in planning let me know." Dave told him, wanting to have a little bit of control over his brother's life.

John was about to complain that his brother was a control freak, when he realised that it was Dave's way and he was just trying to be helpful. He took a deep breath and asked him what he'd wanted to ask him since they had arrived.

"Dave I know we went for so many years without speaking and I'm so glad were building a relationship again, So Dave, I would like you to be my best man."

Dave looked shocked at the question and hesitated in answering, "What about Ronan or Rodney or even Carson? You've spent much more time with them over the last six years."

"Despite our differences for many years,you're my brother and we were best friends once. I'd really like things to be that way again, so that's why I'm asking you, Rodney, Ronan and Carson will make up the rest of my wedding party."

"Then I accept." Dave told him, grinning.

"Well now that's out of the way, how long have you been working for the stargate program Dave?"

"About a month ago the President and a General Landry approached me with a proposition. They told me that the program we would be working for was top secret and I was given a huge stack of non-disclosure forms to sign, as I read them over I wondered if you had something to do with the program, because I hadn't heard anything about you in the four years, before you showed up to dad's funeral. A week ago I met with Jack to finalise the details. That's when I discovered that you were in the Stargate program and that's when Jack told me all about what you had been up to the last six years.

"Have you been to Colorado to see Stargate Command?"

"Yes and apparently I have a tour of Atlantis scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. The military commander of the base, someone named Colonel John Sheppard arranged it for me." Dave smirked.

"I know him, he's a pretty cool guy everyone loves him on base." He teased.

Just then their steaks and beers arrived and they put the conversation on hold to enjoy their dinner.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla sighed, it had only been an hour since John had left and it already seemed like forever. Torren was still unhappy, but was feeling a little better.

"Momma where Daddy?" Torren asked her, for what seemed like hundredth time in an hour.

"Daddy has gone to dinner with Uncle Dave remember."

"Why?" He asked, through his tears.

"Torren remember you have not been well that is the reason why we couldn't go with him tonight."

"Momma, we see Unca Dabe."

"Soon sweetheart when you are feeling better."

"Auntie Amelia and Uncle Ronan are coming by in a minute for dinner. Would you like something to eat?"

"Not hungry, want Daddy." He said, as he started crying again.

Teyla just sighed and cuddled her son close wiping away his tears. He really hated it when John wasn't there; she hated it when John wasn't there, but there wasn't much she could do about it right now.

The door chimed and startled her from her musings. She wondered over to open the door with Torren still in her arms and found Ronan and Amelia standing there laden with food.

"I am so glad you are both here. Please come in?" She sighed again, as they walked past her.

"How is he?" Amelia asked, stroking Torrens back.

"He really wants John at the moment."

"Hey little buddy, do you want to come to Uncle Ronan?" Ronan stretched his arms out towards the boy and Torren climbed into them throwing his arms around his neck.

"Unca wonan, where my Daddy?" Torren asked, through his tears.

"How about after dinner I read you a story and put you to bed? Then before you know it Daddy will be home." Ronan suggested.

"Kay," Torren said, as he snuggled closer to Ronan.

"Okay let's have something to eat?" Amelia suggested, setting places at the table.

Once they were all seated and eating chicken casserole; with Torren sitting on Ronan's lap. Amelia asked Teyla, "So I hear that you and Colonel Sheppard are engaged. Is this true?"

Teyla blushed and showed Amelia her hand. "It is true, he proposed to me last night after the reception."

"Congratulations," Amelia told her.

"It's about time you to get your act together." Ronan told her, with a grin splitting his face.

He leant down and hugged her, before giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Congratulations, I'm happy for you both."

"What have you two been up to the last couple of days?" Teyla asked them, smiling.

"Sparring, a lot," Ronan told her, winking at Amelia.

"We were thinking of going someplace for dinner, when the IOA finally lets Ronan off the base." Amelia told her.

At that moment Torren spoke up, not interested in the adult's conversation at all, "Unca wonan, Towy?"

"Yes Uncle Ronan may read you a bed time story, but you must have your medicine first."

Torren screwed up his face at that request, "taste yucky."

"I know darling, but it will help you feel better." She told him, giving him his medicine.

When He'd had him medicine Ronan stood up with the boy still in his arms and spoke, "Okay, say good night to Auntie Amelia and momma. Then I'll help you into your pyjamas."

"Goodnight Aunt Melia." He said, giving her a kiss on the cheek."

"Goodnight Momma, I luh you."

"I love you too my darling." Teyla told him, giving him a big kiss.

After the boys had left, Teyla looked at Amelia and asked, "Amelia would you like to be one of my brides maids? I have been reading up on earth weddings ever since John and I have been together and I know that I need some bride's maids to help me out on our special day."

"I would _love_ to Teyla!" she exclaimed and then asked, "What are the traditions of your people Teyla?"

"We share a bonding ceremony, where a couple is bonded for life. Many do not choose to undertake the bonding these days, as life is often short due to the Wraith culling's."

"Would you like to undertake the bonding ceremony with Colonel Sheppard?"

"Yes definitely, if Atlantis is ever allowed to return to the Pegasus Galaxy."

Amelia spoke, taking Teyla's hand, "I know that Mr Woolsey and General O'Neil are doing everything in their power to make that happen. I'm positive that you will see your people again Teyla."

Teyla patted her hand in thanks, "The bonding ceremony also requires that I have attendants, would you like to be there for me, when that day arrives?"

"Of course I would." Amelia said and smiled at her friend.

Amelia was so happy for Teyla that she was getting a chance to be with the man she loved, but so unhappy for her that she couldn't share the happy occasion with her fellow Athosians. She sighed and hoped that they would get back to Pegasus soon for everyone's sake.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

When they had finished their steaks and moved on to their second beers, Dave started up the conversation again. "Tell me, how did you end up in Atlantis John, the last time dad and I knew, you were only a Major and flying choppers in Antarctica."

"They needed a human light switch." He quipped.

Dave looked at him with a quizzical look on his face.

John sighed and started at the beginning. "When I was flying choppers and being a taxi service in Antarctica, I was asked to fly General O'Neill to a top secret base. It turned out that this top secret base was filled with ancient technology and that you needed a particular gene to activate it. No one had much success in activating the technology, until I sat down in a chair and it lit up like a Christmas tree. It turned out that the chair was ancient and could only be activated by someone with the ancient gene."

"How do you have the ancient gene?" Dave asked.

"Didn't General O'Neill tell you any of this?"

"He mentioned the gene, but he never said that you had it or how you ended up in Pegasus. He told me that I would have to ask you myself."

"Do you know about the Wraith?"

He nodded his head.

"Ten thousand years ago the Ancients were at war with the Wraith. Things were not going to well for them and they were losing the war, so they sank the City and escaped to Earth through the stargate; Atlantis was the only gate with access to Earth. This is where they lived out the rest of their lives. Obviously along the way they intermingled with the human population here and passed along their gene. **I'm pretty sure that one of our Ancient ancestors was a guy named Tobias Sheppard, whose son Jason came through the gate to Earth. ** That's how I have the gene. There's a strong possibility you have the gene as well Dave."

"Really?" Dave inquired.

"Yes, I can have you try to activate some ancient technology, when you come to Atlantis tomorrow."

"Okay, so how did you end up becoming military commander then?" Dave asked

"Simple, my CO Colonel Sumner was killed on our first mission, as I was the next ranking officer I assumed command."

"You obviously did a good job, because they promoted you to lieutenant Colonel."

"We were out of contact with Earth for over a year and when we were able to contact Earth, General Landry wanted to put someone else in command. He felt that someone with my record for disobeying orders was not the person they wanted in the job."

"Well how did you get promoted then John?"

"Elizabeth. Who was in charge of the expedition at the time, put in a good word with the president for me and the rest is history."

"They tell me you were willing to take out a hive ship, by detonating a nuke on board and that's how you managed to get the Medal of Honour."

John nodded.

"How many of these suicide missions have you been on over the years?"

John just shrugged.

"I know what you do is dangerous John, but promise to try and be careful. I don't want to get a call and find out you have been killed. I couldn't bear to lose you, now that we're getting to know each other again."

"I'll try Dave and if I get injured I have the best doctors in two galaxies to patch me up." He quipped.

"Not funny John."

"Sorry."

"What's the worst injury you've ever had John?" Dave asked him, seriously.

"You really don't want to know." He said with pain in his eyes.

"Why, not?"

"Because it's a pain that is beyond imagination and I hope that you never have to experience it and I don't want to talk about it, so don't ask again."

Dave knew at that point not to push him, so he changed the subject. "How long have you known Teyla then?"

"Six years. The Athosians were the first people we met in the Pegasus Galaxy. The shield on Atlantis was failing and we didn't have enough power to dial Earth, so we found a planet in the Pegasus Galaxy and Athos was it."

"So when did you know she was the one for you."

"Six years ago, when we first met."

"And it took you six years to ask her to marry you?" Dave asked, looking shocked.

"Well as you know I've always had problems expressing my emotions."

"Yeah well Dad did a number on both of us, by telling us it was weak to express our emotions. I've been trying to work on it myself." Dave told him.

"So Dave, is there anyone you're interested in?"

"Possibly." Dave told him, looking at the beer in his hand.

They were on their fourth beer of the evening and both feeling a little bit tipsy by this time.

They kept talking on a number of different topics long into the night. It had been a long time since they had enjoyed each other's company and it felt great.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Ronan came out of Torrens room at about 9:00. "He's fast asleep, but he want's John to go and see him when he gets back."

"I will let him know." Teyla told him.

"So when are you guys getting married," Ronan asked, not holding back.

"We have not really discussed it as yet, but I think John would like to get married while we are on Earth, before we go back to Pegasus.

"Let me know if you need anything." Ronan told her.

"I will, thank you."

"Do you want to watch a movie or something?" Ronan asked,

"No thank you Ronan I think I'll go to bed. It has been a long day." Teyla told them.

Ronan and Amelia stood up and headed for the door. "Goodnight Teyla." Amelia told her.

"Catch you later." Ronan told her, waving as he left the room.

"Goodnight. I will see you both in the morning." Teyla said, as the door closed behind them.

She sighed and looked at her Watch. It was 10:00; she expected that John wouldn't be home before 11:00. She headed for the shower and when she'd showered, put on her nightie and headed for bed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Dave and John left the restaurant about 10:00. It was a lovely warm night with a gentle breeze blowing. They decided that it would be a great idea to go for a walk around San Francisco.

They had been walking for a while in silence, when John felt a tiny prick in his neck. He put his hand up to his neck and pulled away a tiny dart. He looked over at Dave and saw him collapse to the ground.

"Aw crap not again." He stuttered, before he fell to the ground unconscious.

**TBC…**

***These events happened in season 4 episode 15 "Outcast" Stargate Atlantis the Television Series.**

****Tobias Sheppard is an original character I developed for my story "Haunted by the Past."**


	5. Chapter 5: Revenge

**Chapter 5: Revenge**

Teyla awoke to find Torren standing by her bed, holding his ear. Looking at the clock she saw that it was 2:00 in the morning, turning over she realised that John wasn't in the bed beside her. Thinking that he'd probably gone back to his quarters not wanting to awaken her when he arrived home, she turned and looked at her son.

"Ear urt, where Daddy?" He asked

"I do not know darling, perhaps he went to his own room, so he did not disturb us." She replied, not wanting to worry her son.

"Why he not live with us?"

"We will be together as a family soon I promise. Now why don't you hop in my bed and you can sleep with me tonight, okay."

"Okay call Daddy pease?" Torren asked her, with fear in his eyes.

She found the mobile phone that John had given her in case of emergencies, now that they were back on Earth. She dialled the number John had given her and waited.

"_You've reached the voicemail of John Sheppard, I'm either of partying or fighting bad guys, so please leave a message after the tone?"_

Teyla waited for the tone and left a message. "John it is Teyla, I am just wondering where you are, when you get this please call me?"

She tried dialling Dave's number and waited.

"_Hello you have reached David Sheppard, I am too busy to come to the phone right now, if you leave your name and number I will call you back?"_

Teyla waited for the tone and left a message for Dave as well. "Hello David it is Teyla I am just trying to contact John, can you get him to call me please?"

She sighed and tapped her radio and called Rodney, "Rodney this is Teyla please come in?"

The voice that responded was a little groggy, so she guessed he was either sleeping his lab or in his room.

"_What's going on Teyla, It's two in the morning?"_

"Are in your lab Rodney?"

"_Yes why?"_

"Can you scan for John's subcutaneous transmitter? I don't believe he returned home last night."

"_Okay, just wait a moment and I'll run the scan."_

Teyla sat there looking at her son for a few moments before her com activated.

"Go ahead Rodney."

"_He's not here Teyla, have you tried calling him?"_

Yes and I have tried calling Dave as well. There is no answer from either of them."

"_Okay, I'll pick Jennifer up on the way and we'll meet you in your quarters, McKay out."_

"I will contact Major Lorne, Teyla out."

Torren looked up at her with his big puppy dog eyes; the ones that reminded her of John.

"Daddy not here?" Torren asked her, blinking back tears.

"I am sorry baby, but we do not know where he is right now, but we are going to try and find him."

Holding her son tight she tapped her radio again. "Major Lorne, this is Teyla and we have a big problem."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Dave and John left the restaurant about 10:00. It was a lovely warm night with a gentle breeze blowing. They decided that it would be a great idea to go for a walk around San Francisco. _

_They walked for a while in silence when John felt a tiny prick in his neck. He put his hand up to his neck and pulled away a tiny dart. He looked at Dave and saw him collapse to the floor._

"_Aw crap not again." He stuttered, before he fell to the ground unconsciousness._

John awoke sometime later in a cold dark place chained to a wall by his hands and feet. He looked over and saw that Dave was chained next to him.

Dave groaned and opened his eyes looking his way, He asked, groggily. "What the hell happened?"

"It appears that we've been captured for some reason and I have no idea why."

"Oh, great." Dave mumbled.

John was looking around trying to work out where they were and if there was the possibility of escape anytime soon. The room they were in looked like an old jail cell with one iron door with bars in the window, the rest of the room was concrete. There were two wooden bunks hanging by chains to the wall; not that they'd be sleeping there anytime soon.

"You look like this has happened to you before John. Has it?"

"Far too often, for my liking. The question is, who the hell would want to capture me on Earth and why the hell do they want you Dave?"

"Well I know what you know now; maybe they want me for information." Dave suggested.

"Sure, but this isn't a game Dave, our lives could be in danger."

"I know." Dave told him, seriously.

John shivered, realising for the first time that he'd lost his shirt, and his shoes and socks were gone. He looked over at Dave and realised that he still had all his clothes on.

"Umm... Dave, whatever they want you for at least you still have your clothes. I have a really bad feeling that the reason I'm here, is for someone to inflict pain on me. That's usually what happens when I find myself without a shirt or without my shoes and socks."

Dave was about to say something when the door opened and three men and a woman walked in. Two of the men looked like thugs or hired muscle there to rough them up a bit, but one of them John recognised.

"Kavanagh, what the _hell _is going on?" John asked him, angrily.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Major Lorne arrived at Teyla's quarters about the same time as Rodney and Jennifer. They rang the door chime and Teyla answered and let them in. Jennifer went over and took Torren out of her arms, to examine his ear and make sure that it had not become worse.

Torren started to whimper, "Momma want Daddy, where Daddy?"

"We will find him soon, how about you let Auntie Jennifer put you back to bed?" Teyla soothed him.

"Kay," he stretched out his arms for Jennifer to put him to bed.

When Jennifer had left the room Major Lorne spoke, "Okay, what's going on Teyla."

"I would have expected John to have been home hours ago, but he is not anywhere on Atlantis and I have tried to call him on the mobile phone that he has given me and I cannot get any response."

"Do you think it's time we let Woolsey know?" Rodney asked, looking concerned.

"I think we'll leave it a few hours and see if he turns up. He may have lost track of time or decided to stay with David overnight." Lorne suggested.

"Do you really think that's what's happened? This is Sheppard we're talking about, he wouldn't just decide to stay with David and not contact Teyla, he wouldn't want her or anyone else worrying about him." Rodney rambled.

"Rodney is right Major; John would have contacted me by now, if he wasn't going to come home." Teyla spoke, with concern in her eyes.

"You're right." Lorne told them tapping his radio.

"Mr Woolsey this is Major Lorne and we have a problem."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Hello Colonel, first of all congratulations on your promotion and you're engagement. I understand that you and Teyla finally got together. You always did have a way with the ladies; they always seemed to love you. I really thought that you and Elizabeth would have gotten together, but I guess we'll never know what could have happened would we." Kavanagh said, with an evil glint in his eye.

John glared at him at the mention of Elizabeth, but decided not to go there right now. "Sorry you weren't invited to the party, but maybe you're invitation got lost in the mail." John quipped.

He was rewarded for that comment, by one of the thugs giving him a punch in the face.

John stared Kavanagh in the face and asked, "What do you want from us?"

"I don't want anything from Mr Sheppard; except there is a video I think he must watch if he's involved with the stargate program. Any how we'll get to that later. What I want you for is some top secret medical research."

"Well as you know, I'm a Colonel not a Doctor or even a scientist, so I think you've got the wrong guy." John told him, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Colonel Sheppard, how rude of me, let me introduce you to my colleague, Dr Judy Everett, she has been doing some experiments and we need a human test subject."

"Great," He mumbled, to himself.

"Now I think I'll leave you to get some rest, because you'll need all the strength you can get for tomorrow morning."

Just at that moment John's phone started ringing. One of Kavanaghs thugs managed to grab it out of his pocket and stomp on it. He also took Dave's out of his pocket and smashed it.

"Goodnight Colonel, Mr Sheppard I will see you both, tomorrow morning."

When the group had left the room, Dave Spoke angrily, "Who the _hell_ was that?"

"That was Dr Peter Kavanagh, he was assigned to Atlantis when the expedition began, and he went back and forth a few times between Atlantis and Earth, before General Landry had him thrown out of the stargate program. Proclaiming he wasn't mentally sound. It looks like he blames me for it."

"Was it your fault?" Dave asked.

"I had to testify before a tribunal and I agreed with the findings. The decisions he made during the expedition were questionable and he was a self-centred jerk. Not the kind of person we wanted working at stargate command or on Atlantis."

"Oh, great." Dave mumbled.

"The scientist that was with him, I think her father was a colonel that was fed on by the wraith the first year we were in Atlantis. He was sent back to earth. I heard that he died about the same time as dad."

"Great, so someone wants revenge for something that happened a long time ago and it wasn't necessarily your fault?" Dave asked him with concern.

"It wouldn't be the first time Dave."

"This kind of thing has happened before?"

"The last time it happened, some idiot blamed me for killing his father and brother." He paused before continuing on. "The truth is I did kill them, but it was in defence of my home. He became twisted and wanted revenge, so he caught me and tortured me."

Dave looked at him as if he'd grown two heads or something. He couldn't believe that his little brother had killed men, but then should he have expected anything different from a trained soldier?

"Don't look at me like that Dave, I'm a soldier my job is to protect people and sometimes I have to kill to do that, but please understand that I don't enjoy taking lives, most of the time."

"What happened?" Dave asked, not sure he really wanted to know.

"In the first year of Atlantis, we evacuated the city due to an oncoming storm. While Atlantis was deserted a group of soldiers known as the Genii stormed Atlantis. Their leader Koyla decided he wanted Atlantis for the Genii people." He took a breath before continuing. "He had Elizabeth and Rodney, what was I supposed to do?" He asked looking at Dave.

"What happened next?" Dave asked him, with a serious look.

"Well I picked of Koyla's men one by one and then he decided that it was time to call for reinforcements. The gate shield was down, so I managed to get to the control room and activate the shield, just as the soldiers were coming through."

"You were tortured for doing your job?"

"On more than one occasion, but I do not want to talk about it. It's over and I'm okay for now."

"What happened to the Koyla, did you ever see him again?" Dave asked, cautiously.

"I shot him, so now he' dead." John told him, without emotion in his voice.

Dave knew well enough to let the subject drop, so he tried to get as comfortable as he could, being chained to a wall.

"Well John I think I'll try and get some sleep"

"Yeah me to," John told him, with a pained expression on his face.

John sat there for quite a while wondering why this crap always seemed to happen to him. He'd done nothing to deserve it; all he ever wanted to do was protect the people he loved, his family and friends. He knew he couldn't save everyone, but sometimes people couldn't understand that and they thought that he deserved to be punished for it. Maybe they were right, maybe he'd screwed up too many times. Perhaps they were right and he deserved to be punished. With these thoughts rolling around in his head, he drifted into a troubled sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Richard Woolsey was fast asleep when his radio activated, he cursed the interruption to his sleep, as he hadn't really had a decent night's sleep since they'd left the Pegasus Galaxy.

He rolled over on his side and saw that it was almost 3am.

He tapped his radio and spoke into it groggily, "Woolsey here."

"_Mr Woolsey its Major Lorne and we have a problem."_

"What seems to be the problem Major?"

"_Colonel Sheppard didn't return from his dinner with his brother Dave last night."_

"Maybe he decided to stay with Dave."

"_Yes that's what I thought too, but Teyla has tried to ring both John and David and there's been no reply. Rodney has also scanned Atlantis for his subcutaneous transmitter and it isn't showing up anywhere on base."_

"Okay give me an hour and meet me in the conference room, are Dr McKay and Teyla with you?"

"_Yes sir."_

"Well call Ronan and we'll all meet in an hour, Woolsey out."

"_Okay, see you then, Lorne out."_

Woolsey sighed, they hadn't even been on Earth for two weeks and Colonel Sheppard was missing, couldn't people just leave the poor man alone. John had finally found some happiness with Teyla and Torren, but he was convinced that the past had come back to bite the man again.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Fifty minutes later Teyla and Rodney along with Lorne were ready to head to Woolsey's office.

"Let me know if Torren needs me when he wakes up?" Teyla said to Jennifer, who had agreed to stay and look after Torren.

"He'll be fine. He's still not well and has been up half the night, so he should sleep until morning." Jennifer reassured her.

"Thank you Jennifer." Teyla said, leaving the room.

Ten minutes later they were all seated in Woolsey's office.

Rodney spoke first in a panicked voice. "What do think has happened; do you think that the trust has them?"

"Probably." Ronan mumbled.

"Let's all calm down and not jump to any conclusions." Woolsey told them.

"Okay, Teyla do you know where they were going last night?" Woolsey asked her looking concerned.

"I think it was a place could *Alexander's Steak house*."

"I know where it is Mr Woolsey." Major Lorne told him.

"Well it's a place to start, take Ronan over there when it opens and start to ask some discreet questions and I will follow up with Stargate Command to see if they know what the trust are up too these days." Woolsey told them.

"When is the Hammond due back?" Rodney asked

"It should be above us in two days' time. I'll ask Colonel Carter to scan for his subcutaneous transmitter then. Until then take the hand held device to the city and cover as much ground as you can." Woolsey told them.

"What about Dave?" Ronan asked.

"I'm assuming he's with John." Teyla told him.

"Does he have a transmitter?" Rodney asked.

"Yes he does, anyone who works for stargate command has one." Woolsey told him.

"Okay everyone get a couple of hours sleep and then have some breakfast, we'll start the search as soon as it's light. You're all dismissed." Woolsey told them.

They turned and left the room not at all feeling like sleep, but they knew they had to try. Because they knew that it would be an incredibly long day.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John and Dave were napping a few hours later when, Kavanagh, the scientist and his two thugs came in.

"Colonel Sheppard, I forgot to introduce you to my other two friends last night. How, rude of me." Kavanagh drawled. "This is Matthew Sumner and Steven Gall." He told him pointing to his two thugs.

"What the _hell _to you want?" John spat out.

"First I really need to do something I forgot last night and then you can have something to eat and relieve yourself, before you watch the video I promised David last night." Kavanagh told them.

"You forgot to be nice to us last night, are you going to be nice to us and let us go?" John quipped.

John knew he should keep his mouth shut, but he couldn't help himself. He was rewarded this time with a black eye.

Kavanagh looked at his people and told them. "Take the subcutaneous transmitters out of their upper arms."

The Scientist walked over the David and carefully removed it with a scalpel and then bandaged his arm.

One of Kavanaghs thugs walked over to John with a knife and used the knife to gouge it out of his arm. The bandage they used on him looked dirty.

"What no special treatment for me?" John asked.

It was the scientist Judy Everett who answered. "I'm sorry to say Colonel, but you are just a lab rat to us, so in the end it doesn't really matter if you die."

The transmitters were thrown to the floor and stomped on.

They were unchained and given a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of water.

Johns arm hurt like crazy where they'd cut his transmitter out and his arms and legs were numb from being chained last night, but he knew that he couldn't just think of himself at a time like this.

"Dave, I'm so sorry that you had to be dragged into all this. How are you feeling?"

"I'm more worried about you right now, little brother." Dave told him reaching out to pat his good arm.

"Do you need the bucket Dave?" John asked him, pointing to the bucket in the corner.

"Not right now."

"Okay I have to use it so close your eyes and don't look."

John walked over to the bucket and took care of business and then he went back and sat next to Dave and ate his breakfast.

About twenty minutes later, the thugs came in to chain them up again, John tried to kick them, but his muscles were a bit wobbly from being chained up the night before and he was quickly subdued by a few well-placed punches to his stomach.

"Now Colonel, surely you must know not to fight by now. This is your only warning if you fight me, I will injure your brother or maybe I'll kill him." Kavanagh said, with glee in his voice.

Kavanagh had a lap top under his arm as he walked over towards them. "Now Mr Sheppard, here is the Video I promised you."

"Now that you work for Stargate command you should know what the wraith do to people. This is what happened to the Fathers of Matt Sumner and Dr Judy Everett. It also happened to the brother of Steven Gall; only they didn't survive, like some people." There was hate in Kavanagh's face as he spoke.

John looked at the laptop with dread, he knew what was coming and he didn't want Dave to see it. He didn't even want to see it himself. Living through it was one thing, but to have to see the recordings would push him over the edge.

Kavanagh spoke to his thugs. "Do whatever you need to do to keep their eyes open."

The laptop was opened and the video played. John's eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw himself on the screen tied up and gagged with a wraith coming towards him.

He tried to turn his head away, but his head was grabbed by one of the thugs and held in position. He watched at Todd fed upon him. He was never able to scream when it happened, because he was gagged.

Watching it, all the pain he'd felt in that moment came back to him and he screamed.

**TBC…**

**I Know I've made Kavanagh out to be a little twisted, but I imagine that he could have turned out this way had things not gone his way and he became resentful.**

**Please continue to review, as I always like to know what people are thinking.**

***I actually looked this up on the internet and there is a place called Alexander's steak house in the San Francisco bay area. I've never been there of course.**


	6. Chapter 6: Where are John and Dave?

**Chapter 6: Where are John and Dave?**

Teyla headed back to her quarters to see her son and try and get some sleep. When she arrived Jennifer was sitting up, cuddling Torren in her arms.

"Daddy, where, Daddy?" He sobbed.

"I'm sorry Teyla, but he woke up asking for John and refused to go back to sleep." Jennifer told her, looking concerned and handing Torren back to her.

Teyla patted him on his back and spoke to him soothingly. "I am sure that Daddy will be back soon sweetheart, but until them would you like to come and sleep in Momma's bed and keep her company."

"Ear urts." Torren told her, between his sobs.

"You can give him some more medicine now if he needs it." Jennifer told her. "I'll get him some."

"Thank you Jennifer." She replied, all the while rubbing Torren's back.

Jennifer came back and handed Teyla the medicine cup. Teyla held it to Torren's mouth and he drank it screwing his face up at the taste.

"Well I think I'll be heading back to bed for a couple of hours. I'll see myself out." Jennifer told her, walking out the door.

"Goodnight Jennifer."

Teyla was left holding her son; luckily he had calmed down and was almost asleep. She headed for her room and laid him on her bed and then climbed in beside him. She lay there thinking of John and how many nights they had shared together since coming to Earth. She said a prayer to anyone that would listen, that their engagement night wouldn't be the last.

She put her arm around her son and fell into an exhausted, restless sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_The laptop was opened and the video played. John's eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw himself on the screen tied up and gagged with a wraith coming towards him._

_He tried to turn his head away, but his head was grabbed by one of the thugs and held in position. He watched as Todd fed upon him. He was never able to scream when it happened, because he was gagged._

_Watching it, all the pain he'd felt in that moment came back to him and he screamed._

The thug placed his hand over John's mouth, as the video continued. There were tears rolling down his face, by the time the recording had finished.

Dave just sat there looking stunned, unable to tear his eyes away from the screen. He was shocked at what had happened to his little brother, but what amazed him was how strong John had been at the time. John was distraught at watching it back, but who wouldn't be? Who would want to relive that painful experience again? It was probably worse watching yourself being tortured than living through it, especially if you'd already lived it.

The recording ended and Kavanagh spoke.

"Mr Sheppard, are you sure you still want to work for the stargate program? People die, but for some unknown reason your brother is still alive, where as many others are dead. Relatives of my associates included. I believe that he should suffer for those crimes. What about you?"

"You know that two wrongs don't make a right? It must have been horrible for your loved ones to die at the hands of the Wraith, but making John _suffer _won't change a dam thing!" Dave told him, losing his temper.

"Yes but it will further my associates research and make us all fell a lot better." Kavanagh told him, with an evil grin crossing his face.

"I'll let you rest Colonel Sheppard; my colleague will need your help with her research later." Kavanagh told him and left the room, his associates following behind.

Once they'd left Dave looked at John and saw his tear stained face, he was trembling, taking deep breaths trying to gain control and he was staring of into space. John who had always been a tower of strength at whatever life had thrown at him, especially when it came to their father. John was the strongest person he had ever known, when it came confronting their father and standing up for himself.

Seeing John now, was frightening for him, because he was relying on John's strength to get them out of here.

He looked at his brother and asked him gently, "John, are you okay?"

John looked at him and took a deep breath before speaking. "Yeah I'll be okay. It was just a shock having to see that, living through it was one thing, but I thought that I'd dealt with it a long time ago."

"Dave looked at him and took a deep breath before asking John the question he'd been waiting to ask. "Is that the most painful thing you've ever experienced?"

"Yeah, it's one of them."

"Do you want to tell me about anything else, that painful?" Dave asked with compassion in his voice.

"I got turned into a bug once. A very long story and I don't really want to go into it right now; I'd rather focus on getting out of here while I'm all in one piece." John told him, changing the subject.

Dave knew well enough to leave it alone, so he asked. "How are we going to get out of here then?"

"I'm hoping that Atlantis or the Hammond will pick up my subcutaneous transmitter and come and get us."

"I thought they cut it out?" Dave commented, looking at the dirty bloody bandage on John's arm.

"They took one out, but as a precaution all gate teams had one inserted deep in their shoulders as well, just in case the first one was found."

"Whose brilliant idea was that?" Dave asked, grinning.

"The Military leader of Atlantis, I hear he's pretty smart and everybody love's and respects him." John quipped.

"Well let's hope it works little brother."

"I know that the Hammond is due back from and off world mission in two days, but Atlantis has a hand held device to track our transmitters. Whatever happens I hope they're quick, because I don't think the next few days are going to be very pleasant for me."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Two hours after she had gone to bed to try and get some rest, Teyla arrived at the mess hall with Torren in tow.

"What would you like for breakfast darling?" She asked her son, in a gentle voice.

"Pantates, Daddy meet us ere?" He asked, his eyes wide, looking around.

"Not this morning sweetheart. Hopefully we will see him soon."

He nodded and held her hand. They walked up to the serving table and filled their trays. Teyla wasn't very hungry, so she just chose some fruit and a cup of tea.

Looking around she found the rest of her team along with Jennifer and Carson sitting, at a table overlooking the ocean.

Carson looked at her with concern. "How are you doing this morning Lassie?"

"Other than being worried about John and not sleeping much, I am fine."

"We'll find him, we always do." Carson told her.

"Then you and Jennifer spend hours putting him back together again." Rodney told him, sarcastically, but the worry was evident in his voice.

"Rodney!" Jennifer chastised, tapping him on the arm.

Torren interrupted the conversation; he really wasn't interested in what the adult were saying. "Una Wonan. Up?" He held his hands towards the big man.

Ronan picked him up all the while talking to him, "how are you pal, what do you want to do later? I've got some time later, if you want to spar with me. Or how about you help me train some of the troops later?"

"Daddy there?" Torren asked, with hope in his voice.

"No buddy, but Major Lorne, Uncle Rodney and I, are going over to San Francisco to see if we can bring him home today."

"I tum?" Torren inquired.

"You will need to stay at home with me, Torren." Teyla told him, soothingly.

Torren looked at Rodney with his best puppy dog eyes. "Una Wodny, bing Daddy ome?"

Rodney looked uncomfortable, as he answered, "I'll do my best Torren."

"Tank you." Torren told him, before attacking his stack of pancakes.

Teyla was slowly making her way through her breakfast when her radio activated.

"_Woolsey to Teyla, come in Please?"_

"Go ahead Mr Woolsey."

The others looked at her with curiosity wondering what was happening.

"I'm on my way, Teyla out."

"Jennifer," Teyla asked, "do you mind looking after Torren for a while? I need to meet with Mr Woolsey."

"No problem, Dr Cole is on duty for the next two hours. I can look after him till then."

"Torren Aunty Jennifer is going to look after you for a while, I'll be back to collect you later and then we can do something together. Okay."

"Okay, Momma." He told her, leaning over to give her a big kiss.

"Thank you Jennifer." She told her, leaving the mess hall.

Rodney and Ronan stood up as well. "I think it's about time we were going is as well." Ronan told them.

"Find him and bring him home." Carson told them.

"We'll do our best." Rodney told him, waving as he got up to leave.

Ronan headed for the door and waved as well, leaving the two Doctors sitting there.

Torren was on his second stack of pancakes, so they decided to stay a while longer.

"I hope everything will be okay," Jennifer told Carson, not wanting to say too much, as Torren was there.

"Me too lassie. Me too."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Ronan and Rodney arrived in the locker room twenty minutes later; they were all dressed in civilian clothing as they didn't want to draw any attention to themselves. Ronan was the one most likely to stand out due to his size and dreadlocks. They were all dressed in shorts and polo tops, as the day was warm.

Sargent Stackhouse turned up a few minutes later dressed the same way.

"Okay, now that we're all here, let's get going. Sarg, you're with me, we're going to the restaurant that Colonel Sheppard and his brother went to last night. Ronan and Rodney, start scanning for his transmitter, when we have some information we'll try and help you narrow the search. Is there any questions?"

They all shook their heads, "Then let's move out then.

They all turned around and headed for the boats that were going to take them to the shore.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

He awoke from his hibernation hungry, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it. The humans weren't about to offer him a meal. But he knew that he owed his life to John Sheppard. If John Sheppard had not let him go the Iratus bug planet, he never would have survived. Now he needed to return the favour.

He'd felt another Wraith presence on board Atlantis, ever since they'd left the Pegasus Galaxy. Not a presence like his, it was more like the young Wraith queens, but different. It was stronger like nothing he'd ever felt before. He took a while to fully awake from his sleep, but when he did he knew he had to do something about it, because it was driving him insane. He wondered if the young Wraith Queen had felt it, or if she was somehow shielded.

He got up from his positon on the floor and headed across the floor of the holding cell that he was in.

"I need to speak to Mr Woolsey and the young Wraith Queen _now _it's very important_!"_ He growled at the guard, while barring his teeth.

Tapping his earpiece with fear in his eyes, the marine called Woolsey. "Mr Woolsey, Todd would like to speak to you and Teyla now, he says it's important."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John was hot and sweaty and he knew he had a fever; probably due to the large crater in his arm and the dirty bandage covering it. He was dozing when Sumner and Gall entered their tiny cell. Dave looked up only to see Sumner pull a strange weapon and shoot John.

"What the_ hell_ are you doing?" Dave thundered.

"He's only stunned, he's okay for now." Gall told him, undoing John's chains.

Once John's chains were undone, they let him fall to the floor with a heavy thud, before heading over to Dave.

"The boss said that we could undo you, if you don't fight." Gall told him.

"I won't fight." David told him.

They undid his chains and gave him some food. Then they grabbed John under the arms and dragged him away.

Dave sat on the floor unable to get to his feet, as his limbs felt like rubber; he'd been tied up for far too long. He looked at his wrists and noticed they were a little red, but that was nothing compared to John's which were bloodied and red, he' obviously been trying to free himself. He was sure that John had an infection by this time, having looked at his arm before they took him. John was burning up with fever and there was nothing he could do about it.

Dave was left alone in the dark with nothing to do but think. Why didn't I put up a fight? They've taken John to who knows where and maybe I'll never see him alive again and if I don't it will all be my fault, because I didn't try to fight. I really am a coward. I've spent all my life trying to hide behind money and status, but my brother has spent his entire life thinking of others and now he's going to die, because I'm a Coward. He calmed himself and sat there trying to think of a plan to get them out of this.

**XXX XXXXXXXXXX**

Woolsey was sitting in his office with yet another headache, when his radio activated. _"Mr Woolsey, Todd would like to speak to you and Teyla now, he says it's important."_

"What is so important lieutenant?

"_He says he'll only talk to you and Teyla."_

"Okay lieutenant, I'm on my way, Woolsey out."

Woolsey tapped his radio again.

"Woolsey to Teyla, come in Please?"

"_Go ahead Mr Woolsey"_

"Todd wants to talk to us right away. I'll meet you in the holding cell in twenty minutes." 

"_On my way, Teyla out"_

"I'll see you then, Woolsey out."

Twenty minutes later Teyla met Mr Woolsey in the holding cells. They nodded at the guard before approaching the cell.

"Okay, Todd what's so important? If you're after food I'm afraid we can't help you."

Todd looked at Teyla and bowed, "my young Queen, I understand that you have taken John SShheppard as you're mate?"

"What information do you have for us?" Teyla asked, ignoring the question.

"I sense another Wraith presence on Atlantis. Do you sense it too, my young Queen."

She had felt something odd for a while, but she hadn't told anyone about it. Todd was the only Wraith on Atlantis, as far as she knew, so she hadn't given it much thought.

Todd looked at her and realised that she had sensed something too. "You have sensed something haven't you?" He asked her.

'Yes I have it's odd it's almost like Michael is here, but I thought I killed him, so that shouldn't be possible." Teyla explained to him.

Todd turned to look at Woolsey and spoke to him, "Mr Woolsey, I suggest you let me out of here, so that I can help you track down this Wraith thing."

"You will have to be restrained and under guard at all times and the minute you step out of line, I will not hesitate to give the order for you to be killed. Do you understand?" Woolsey told him, sternly.

Todd nodded his agreement to the plan.

"Open the door?" Woolsey told the guard.

Todd stepped out and looked at Teyla, before asking, "Where do you want to start?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John awoke strapped to a metal table, his legs and arms still feeling numb from being stunned. He looked up to see Kavanagh and Everett standing over him.

"Ah you're awake, Colonel Sheppard. We'll just need to wait for the numbness to fade to begin our experiment" Kavanagh told him.

"Are you going to tell me what it is, or is it a big surprise?" John asked, with as much sarcasm as he could muster.

"Of course it's a surprise. You'll never believe what we've planned for you." Kavanagh quipped.

They stood in silence for five minutes before Kavanagh ordered

"Blindfold and gag him."

"What _the_ hell!" Sheppard shouted and started to struggle against his bindings. His hands were already raw from fighting against the manacles in the prison cell, but that didn't stop him from struggling, as his fear and panic continued to rise. By the time they managed to blindfold and gag him he was in a full blown panic. His hands and ankles were cut and bleeding from the rough ropes that tied them.

At that moment he heard it, a chirping, chattering sound that filled him with terror. He froze as the sound came closer and then with an almighty shriek something latched on to his throat.

**TBC…**

**Sorry, but this chapter is a bit shorter. I hope you like it.**

**Don't forget to review.**


	7. Chapter 7: The experiment

**Chapter 7: The experiment.**

_At that moment he heard it, a chirping, chattering sound that filled him with terror. He froze as the sound came closer and then with an almighty shriek something latched on to his throat. _

If he wasn't gagged he would have screamed as the Iratus bug dug its pincers deeper into his throat. He was in agony as the bug injected its toxin into his system and then started to suck the life out of him.

He heard voices of to his left muttering about their scientific research, but he really didn't want to know, because all he could focus on at the moment was the all-encompassing pain he was feeling right now. He knew it wouldn't last though, he knew that eventually his body would become numb. Then what? How the hell did they intend to get this giant tick off of him? Last time Ford had to stop his heart before the dam thing would let go. He really didn't relish having to go through that again. Lost in his thoughts and Pain, he didn't realise when Everett spoke to him.

"Now Colonel, were going to leave you for a while until you become, numb and then I'll be back to conduct, phase two of my research."

"Take his blindfold of, so he can see what's going on?" Kavanagh suggested.

He blindfold was removed, so that not only could he hear the bug still chirping away, but now he could see it as well. He felt sick, but he knew that vomiting wouldn't be a good idea right now, as he was still gagged.

"I need a blood sample." Everett told someone.

His blood was taken and then he was left alone with his thoughts, he wondered what would happen next. Would he be rescued soon or would this enormous tick attached to his neck eventually kill him. The pain was lessoning now and could feel his limbs starting to go numb. He closed his eyes to the pain and drifted into a restless sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla, Todd and a team of marines were heading down a dark, damp corridor in the depths of Atlantis when Todd spoke.

"When I was on the Iratus bug planet, JJohn SShheppard allowed me to go to; I sensed the presence there as well."

"You mean you have known all this_ time_ and _haven't_ let anyone know?" Teyla asked him, furiously.

"I was a bit busy trying to help save Atlantis at the time." Todd growled.

"Why are you telling us now?" Teyla asked him, with a cold look in her eyes.

"I sense that JJohn SShheppard is in trouble and I owe him my life, so I'm just returning the favour."

"Well we need to hurry, because John has been missing over fourteen hours."

"You have indeed taken him as a mate, my queen."

"It is really none of your business Todd and will you please stop calling me your queen. I am no one's queen."

"What shall I call you then?"

"You can call me Teyla."

"Teyla, JJohn SShheppard is the only man strong enough to be your mate. He is a mighty warrior, a man of his word and the only man I know that is strong enough to let you be all that you are."

"It's still none of your business." Teyla told him.

They continued to walk along in silence, their flashlight beams cutting a path through the inky blackness.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

They stepped off the boats, in the early morning light. There was a slight chill in the air, but it didn't bother them, as they knew that it was going to be a warm sunny day.

Lorne started giving orders, "okay, Stackhouse, you're with me. McKay and Ronan start scanning."

Rodney slipped the scanning device on his arm set it going. They had camouflaged it as a cast, so that no one would have any idea what it really was.

They walked on in silence, no one wanting to say much, because they all sensed the urgency of the situation. It really was a beautiful day and the bay looked beautiful bathed in the morning sunlight, but really none of them noticed. They had one goal in mind at that was to find, John and David Sheppard.

Ronan hoped that they were still alive and still in one piece, if not, he was going to kill whoever took them. John Sheppard was his brother. He though back to the first time he'd met the man, He'd kidnaped him and held him hostage, but still he had given him a home and a family. John had always had some smart ass comment to make and despite their difficult and dangerous life, he always looked on the bright side, unlike McKay that was always so negative. He smiled, as he trudged alone besides McKay who was complaining loudly already.

"This is going to take forever, we don't even know if there in San Francisco anymore."

"Shut up and scan." Ronan growled.

"Sure Conan, but you do realise that San Francisco is a big city? They could be _anywhere _by now!" Rodney, snarked back.

"Just scan." Ronan growled again.

Lorne walked up to them and asked them, "How's it going, anything yet?"

"Oh yes, this is really easy, as San Francisco is such a small city." Rodney replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Just scan," Lorne replied, the frustration evident in his voice.

The reached their destination a few minutes later and Lorne took Stackhouse and entered the restaurant.

A waiter approached them with menus about to offer them a table, but Lorne spoke first.

"We're not here to eat; we'd like some information about a couple of our friends that were in here last night?"

The waiter looked at them confused, but then pointed into a back room and beckoned them to follow.

"This is Patrick; he was the duty manager on last night." The waiter introduced them and left the room.

Patrick walked up and shook their hands, "Call me Rick. How can I help you?"

"Hello, I'm Evan, I'm wondering if you saw these two men in here last night?" He asked, pulling a photo of John and David from his pocket.

"Yes definitely, David Sheppard comes in here often and he had that man with him last night. They ate a lot of food and drank quite a few beers, before leaving at about ten." Rick told him with pride in his voice. It wasn't very often that you had the great David Sheppard eating in the restaurant on your duty shift.

"Do you know what direction they headed in when they left?" Lorne asked.

"No I'm sorry, it was getting late."

"Thanks for your help." Lorne told him before leaving the restaurant.

Stepping out into the sunlight, he spotted Ronan and McKay.

"That was a complete waste of time; all we know is that they ate here last night and that they left at about ten." Lorne told them, trying to hide his disappointment.

"What now?" Ronan asked.

"We'll take the path that Sheppard would have taken back to the boats and look for clues and keep scanning. There's not much else we can do at the moment." Lorne told them.

They headed back the way they came looking dejected. It was a long shot asking at the restaurant and it had come to nothing. They had no idea what they were going to do next.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Dave paced in his cell; he had no idea where John had gone. He hadn't heard from any of his captors for what seem hours, he'd been looking for a way out. What would happen if he managed to get out? Would he be able to find John? What if John was hurt and needed medical assistance? He was really worried, what would he do if anything happened to John? He'd just found his little brother again and the last thing he wanted to do was bury him.

His thoughts were interrupted by Kavanagh entering the room.

"David I see your awake."

"Where _is John_?" Dave asked, with controlled anger in his voice.

"He is still alive for the moment." Kavanagh told him with coldness in his voice.

"What the _hell_ is that supposed to mean?" Dave's eyes flared with anger.

"It means exactly what I said." He glared in anger and then continued on." I will let you go in a few hours, depending on how our research goes. If we need another test subject you'll be the next in line."

David just glared at him. "If you kill him I'll be the first in line to kill you and then once Atlantis finds you, they'll tear you limb from limb. I believe Teyla will be the first in line in that instance."

"They will never find us, so if I don't let you go. You'll both die here." Kavanagh told him with cold impatience in his voice.

Kavanagh walked out and left the room leaving him alone with his own thoughts.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John awoke a short time later, to find that the gag had gone and that he was untied. The bug was still attached to his neck, but the pain was gone and his limbs were numb. He noticed that there was an IV attached to his arm. They obviously don't want me to die that quickly he thought.

He was startled from his musings when Everett entered the room with a few of her scientist friends.

"Colonel Sheppard, it's good to see you're awake. I was hoping you'd be awake for the next part of the experiment."

"What the _hell _are you up to and why didn't the bug attack you?" John asked, with as much anger as he could muster given his weakened condition.

"We have a device on our wrists that produces soundwaves at a certain frequency that repel the bugs." One of the scientists told him.

"Are you feeling numb Colonel Sheppard?" Everett asked.

"What the hell do you think? I have an Iratus bug trying to feed on me, of course I'm numb." He growled at her.

"It's time for phase two of our experiment. Can you feel pain through any injury we might inflict on you and will the bug help heal those injuries." Everett told everyone in the room.

'You've got to be kidding me?" Sheppard mumbled.

"Matt let's try a broken bone first."

Before Sheppard had a chance to say anything, the thug came towards him with a hammer and then slammed it into his forearm. He heard the crack and felt the pressure as the bones broke.

John looked at his arm the best he could with the bug attached to his neck, the ulna and radius bones were snapped in two. The skin wasn't broken, but he could clearly see that the bones were broken. He swallowed trying to keep the bile down that was rising to the back of his throat. He had no idea what would happen if he vomited with a large bug attached to his neck.

"Are you feeling any pain?" Everett asked him.

John just glared at her. Surprisingly he didn't feel any pain, because he felt pretty much numb all over. She didn't deserve an answer, so he remained quiet.

"I take that as a no. We'll give it a few hours to see if the bug will help heal the bones." Everett told him.

Everett and her friends left the room leaving John alone with Kavanagh.

Kavanagh spoke. "Maybe I'll let your brother visit you for a while, but don't get any ideas of escape, because I'll make sure he's tied up and I'll threaten to kill you and if I kill you he will take your place."

"You're one deranged bastard Kavanagh, what did I ever do to you?"

"Elizabeth put the entire mission in danger, because she was secretly in love with you, pretty boy. I believe that both of your actions over the years have been questionable, but what happens? I get sent back to Earth and told that I'm mentally unstable. I know that you testified to that end, so when people approached me about wanting revenge on you, I thought why not?"

"That just proves the point doesn't it?" John questioned him.

"I've had enough of the conversation. Lie still for a while and Judy will be back soon to conduct another phase of her experiment."

"How do you intend the get this giant tick off of me?" John asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

"We don't, we don't really care if you die." Kavanagh told him and left the room.

John lay there in the silence thinking about Teyla and Torren and wondering if he would ever see them again. He thought maybe he should retire and stay right here on Earth and ask Teyla and Torren to stay with him, but could he really do that to them? Could he ask Teyla to give up her birthright, give up Torren's birthright for him? Maybe not, but he was sick of this, sick of someone always wanting revenge for things that weren't really his fault. He knew how to play the guilt game well, but at the end of the day he knew that none of these people's deaths were his fault, they were the Wraith's.

He closed his eyes and fell into a deep numbing sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

He was alone meditating in the lower parts of Atlantis, the places where he couldn't be detected. He'd brought alone enough food for the journey and a couple of weeks after they arrived. He had done what he had come here to do; he had given the bug to the person who had requested it. He didn't know what they wanted it for. All he was told was that it would be used to hurt and possibly kill John Sheppard. That's all he needed to know.

He was in quiet meditation when he sensed the Wraith heading his way. It's time to move he thought.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The team arrived back at the boats having found no other clues on their way. They had no idea what they were going to tell Teyla and Torren. They sat in the boats in silence as they headed back to Atlantis. When they arrived they headed straight for Woolsey's office to fill him in.

When they were all seated, Woolsey spoke, "Report Major?"

"All we know is that David and John ate at that restaurant last night and they left at about ten." Lorne told him, looking dejected.

"On the way back we looked for clues along the way and we found nothing." Rodney told him.

"Did your scans pick up anything?" Woolsey asked.

"_NO!" _Ronan growled.

"It's a rather large area and we only scanned a small part of it today." Rodney told him rolling his eyes.

"Where's Teyla? Ronan asked.

"She's looking for a Wraith presence that Todd detected in the city. I've asked her to meet me at 1400 for a progress report. Why don't you go and have some lunch and we'll reconvene at 1400 hours and discuss our plan of attack moving forward. You're dismissed." Woolsey told them.

They left the office looking dejected and then they headed to the mess hall for lunch not really wanting to eat. They knew that they would have to tell Teyla and Torren at some point that they hadn't found John.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

John awoke feeling even number than he did before; if that were possible, as he opened his eyes he saw that Dave was looking down at him.

"Dave, how are you doing?" John asked, in a weak raspy voice, before Dave could say anything.

"I'm fine." Dave told him, looking at him with fear and worry in his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" John rasped out.

"They said I could sit with you for a while. They told me that it may be my last chance, because they didn't really care if you die or not."

"Great." John mumbled.

Dave spoke his voice filled with compassion. "What have they done to you John?"

"Well I have a very large bug attached to my neck which is sucking the life out of me and they have broken my arm, so far that's all they've done." John replied sarcastically.

"Are you in pain?" Dave asked with concern.

"No I'm just numb. I have a feeling that eventually I won't be able to breathe, but I'm not having any problems right now."

"How can you get that thing off of you?"

"Well the last time one of these things attached itself to my neck, Ford had to stop my heart for the thing to let go."

Dave looked horrified.

John looked at him and knew that he needed Dave to promise to look after Teyla and Torren. He had a strong feeling that he may not make it out of this alive.

"Dave if I don't make it out of here alive, you need to promise to try and get out of here and look after Teyla and Torren for me. You need to make sure that they have everything that they need if they choose to stay here on Earth."

"Of course I will John, but I really hope it doesn't come to that. While you're still alive there's still hope that Atlantis will find us."

"Thanks Dave." John smiled.

The door opened at that moment and Kavanagh and Everett came through along with their thugs.

"What a lovely reunion." Kavanagh said. Pointing his to his thugs he told them," Take him back to his cell."

They grabbed Dave under his arms and dragged him away. All the while Dave had his eye's firmly planted on John.

"I love you John, stay strong." That was all he was able to say before a hand was clamped over his mouth and was dragged out of the door.

Everett came and started poking and prodding his arm to see if there was any improvement.

"His arm seems to be repairing its self twenty percent quicker than a normal break would. This is incredible."

"Let's try something different shall we? How about, a gunshot wound?" She looked at Kavanagh on the other side of the room and he pulled out a P90. He then proceeded to fire, shooting him in both knee caps.

John felt the impact and heard the crack of his knees shattering, but he felt no pain. He couldn't look down any longer, because he couldn't move his head and he was beginning to have difficulty in breathing.

Everett and Kavanagh left the room telling him that they would be back to see him later to see how he was healing.

He lay there in tears knowing that this could very well be the end for him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Rodney, Ronan, Teyla and Lorne were all sitting in Woolsey's office waiting to start the meeting. Ronan had told Teyla that they hadn't found John, but she hadn't had a chance to tell Torren as yet.

Woolsey entered the office about five minutes later. I have good news the Hammond is an hour out and Sam will be beaming down as soon as she is in range.

**TBC…**

**Finally some good news, hopefully they will be able to find John and Dave quickly.**


	8. Chapter 8: Rescue

**There has been some confusion as to who the character of Sumner is in this story. The character in this story is Matt Sumner, the Son of Colonel Marshall Sumner. Colonel Marshall Sumner was killed in episode two of the Television series. I have mentioned this in an earlier chapter, but perhaps it wasn't clear enough.**

**Chapter 8: Rescue**

_Rodney, Ronan, Teyla and Lorne were all sitting in Woolsey's office waiting to start the meeting. Ronan had told Teyla that they hadn't found John, but she hadn't had a chance to tell Torren as yet._

_Woolsey entered the office about five minutes later. "I have good news the Hammond is an hour out and Sam will be beaming down as soon as it is in range."_

Thirty minutes later Sam entered the conference room. There were greetings all round; except for Rodney who was tapping away on his laptop, as usual.

Suddenly he started to click his fingers. When everyone turned around to look at him, he spoke, "We have a security breach on Atlantis, and it turns out that someone has been sending out several encrypted files, to Peter Kavanagh. I've managed to hack into them and find out what they're about. It seems that he is interested in our Iratus bug research."

"I have been talking with General Landry and it seems that a member of the trust, a Dr Judy Everett has been conducting research on the Iratus bug. Apparently her father was fed on by the Wraith in the siege of Atlantis. I heard that he died a couple of years ago. Last Intel suggested that she needed a test subject for the next phase of her experiment. That can't be a coincidence." Sam concluded, looking worried.

"Where the _hell _would they get the bugs from?" Ronan thundered.

"We have had a Wraith on board who has recently been to the Iratus bug planet. Could Todd have anything to do with it?" Rodney suggested.

It was Teyla who answered him. "I do not believe so; he has felt a wraith presence, not unlike that of Michael since he left that planet. I have been sensing it as well."

"So we have an intruder on Atlantis as well?" Sam asked.

"It would appear so." Woolsey answered.

"We _have_ to find him!" Ronan growled.

"We will Conan, but shouldn't we concentrate on finding Sheppard and his brother first? If there are Iratus bugs involved they may not have much time." Rodney suggested.

"Have you started scanning yet Colonel Carter?" Woolsey asked.

"Yes we started just as I beamed down." She told him.

"Now what happens?" Teyla asked him.

"Now we wait." Woolsey told her.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

He managed to escape the searching Wraith and hide in a deeper part of the city. He only had supplies for a few more days, but if all was going to plan, he would be able to come out of the shadows, before then and reclaim the life that John Sheppard and his friends had stolen from him. He wished that he had never come into contact with Atlantis and that he was, back home amongst friends. That may never happen again and he knew it, but at least he could take comfort in the fact that revenge had been served on the evil man who had taken everything away from him and very soon what was his, would be his again. He closed his eyes and resumed his meditation.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John slowly became aware of muttering voices around him. They were talking about the experiment that they were performing. It took him a while to realise that he was the test subject. He felt no pain, so it took him a while for his foggy brain to register what had happened. He had a giant tick still attached to his neck, a broken arm, gunshot wounds to both of his knees, a crater in his arm where his subcutaneous transmitter had been removed, he knew he had a fever and to top it all off he was finding it hard to breath. Could this day get any worse?

Everett came over and started talking to him. "Colonel Sheppard, it's good to see you are awake, you'll be happy to know that you have helped my research immensely. Your wounds are regenerating at a much faster rate than they would have normally and you're obviously in no pain. Just think this research may someday save lives."

"If…you…don't…kill….the…patient…first." He slurred, all the while struggling to breathe.

"We are researching ways to remove the bug safely; unfortunately we haven't really put a lot of effort into that research as yet. You're injuries are healing slowly, but I don't know if they will heal before you die, so I'm going to let your brother sit with you and say his last goodbye."

Dave was led into the room by the thugs and he rushed over to John's side. "John they said I could see you and attend to your wounds, but I have no idea how to get you out of here."

"It's… Okay….Dave…Just…sit….with….me?" He stammered, in between shallow breaths.

Dave looked at John's knees and was horrified by what he saw. They were a bloody mess of shattered bone and gaping holes where the bullets had entered. "Can I get some clean bandages for his knees and arm please and maybe some water to clean his arm."

Everett brought them over and Dave started cleaning and bandaging his arm first. He then moved onto his knees, he was very careful not wanting to cause his brother any pain; even though he wouldn't have felt anything anyway.

"I don't know why you're bothering; he's probably going to die anyway." Kavanagh stated with cold indifference.

"That's what you do for the people you love. That's what you'd do for anyone who was in his situation. It's called compassion, obviously you know nothing about that." Dave stated plainly, looking at John with compassion in his eyes.

"I was with my Father when he died." Everett told him. "It was at that moment I swore that I would get revenge on the man that let this happen to him."

"I guess that's what makes us different. I love my brother and even if he dies at your hand, I will not seek revenge. I will seek justice." Dave looked her in the eyes before continuing. "You know I feel sorry for you, you're obviously a very gifted scientist and you could have done anything with your life. Yet here you are conducting unauthorised research on my brother, just because you wanted revenge."

"You know I applied to work for the Stargate program, before my father died and they rejected my application. I didn't know what I was going to do, so I worked for a Pharmaceutical company until my father died. About a month after my father died, I was approached by the Trust and they offered me the chance to work on top secret research. It was when I working on Iratus bug research that I started to formulate a plan for revenge. It was just lucky that I ran into a few other people who wanted revenge as well. "When Atlantis came to earth everything fell into place." Tears were streaming down her face by the time she'd finished.

Dave looked at her tear stained face and thought that he had a chance to appeal to her humanity. "You don't have to do this. You can end this. Please let me get my brother the help he needs?" Dave practically begged her.

It was Kavanagh who answered, "I don't think so. Say your goodbyes and then you may leave. We will be back in a day or so to clean up the mess."

He grabbed Everett and practically dragged her out of the room.

John looked and his brother and spoked breathlessly. "Thanks….for….trying."

Dave just sat and held his brothers hand and told him to go to sleep.

The darkness was encroaching and John wondered if he would ever wake up again, he looked at Dave and saw him as his older brother, not the man who he hadn't spoken to for years. When they were kids Dave would have done anything for him. He remembered Dave sitting by his bed while he was sick or recovering from many horrendous injuries. That's all Dave was to him at the moment and that was all that mattered. His relationship with Dave had been restored and he knew that Teyla and Torren would be looked after. He knew that everything was taken care of, so he let the darkness claim him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The meeting was almost over when Sam activated her ear piece. They sat and waited with anticipation until Sam had finished.

"They've found them, but the area they're in is heavily shielded. You'll have to send a team in to shut it down before we can transport them out of there." Sam told them with urgency.

"Okay, Lorne lead a team to the base and get that shield down. Ask Dr Beckett to accompany you, as I've no doubt that they will need a doctor." Woolsey suggested.

Lorne looked at Ronan and Teyla, before he had a chance to say anything they nodded their consent.

Lorne tapped his radio "Dr Beckett this is Major Lorne come in."

"_Aye Major what can I do for ya laddie?"_

"We've found Colonel Sheppard and his brother. We think they may be injured and we may be in need of a doctor. There may be Iratus bugs involved, so come prepared."

_I'm on my way, Beckett out."_

"Please be quick, Lorne out."

Ten minutes later they had all gathered in the gateroom. Lorne gave out final orders. "I will accompany McKay to find the shield along with sergeant Stackhouse, Ronan and Teyla you're with the Doc. Does anyone have any questions?"

They all shook their heads.

They were all enveloped in the while light of the transport beam and appeared on the Hammond. They were then transported down to the planet to a secluded spot fifty meters away from the abandoned cave system, the Colonel and his brother were being held in.

They headed into the cave system guns ready for action. They walked in silence until they found a control room; McKay, Lorne and Stackhouse left the rest of the group to try and lower the sheild.

They continued to walk down the long winding tunnel, with Ronan's flashlight cutting a path through the darkness. Teyla brought up the rear with Carson in the middle. The place seemed deserted and they wondered if everyone had packed up and left. They came to a room which looked like a cell. Beckett went over to inspect the chains attached to the wall.

"There's fresh blood on these manacles. Someone's been restrained here recently." Carson stated, worry evident in his voice.

They left the room and continued on, until they reached a closed door. They could hear a voice on the other side. Ronan signalled for the Doctor to stay behind him, while Ronan tried the door. It opened without any effort. He raised his gun for a moment, before letting it drop.

"They're in here." He grumbled, before rushing over to Sheppard's side. He did not like what he saw. There was a large Iratus blood attached to his neck and he had numerous injuries covering his body.

He didn't realise that Dave was there until he spoke. "Thank God you're here, Carson can you help him. I don't know how much longer he has; he's been having difficulty breathing for quite a while now."

Beckett rushed and was horrified by what he saw. "First thing I have to do, is get that bloody bug off of him. We've been doing research and I believe that by injecting John with a sedative that it will be transferred to the bug through the feeding process. Hopefully it won't kill John as well."

"Is it not safe?" Teyla asked, holding John's hand.

"I don't know, but if I don't do something quick he will definitely die."

John moaned at that point, taking a shallow breath he whispered "Teyla."

"I am here John, Carson and Ronan are here along with Dave as well."

Carson walked up to John and stood over him, so that he could see his face. "John, I'm going to inject you with a sedative. As the bug continues to feed on you, I'm hoping that it will be absorbed into its system and it will die and we'll be able to get it off."

"Do it." John rasped out.

Carson patted John's shoulder and slowly injected the sedative into his system. John's eyes were becoming droopy and eventually he lost consciousness.

"Ronan, we may need you weapon in a minute." Carson told him.

Ronan pulled his gun out and set it to kill. They stood there for a couple of minutes before the bug started to pull away from John's neck, it fell to the floor looking half dead, before it had a chance to crawl away Ronan shot it. It rolled on to its back and stopped moving. Ronan shot it a few more times just to make sure.

Carson looked down at John and started to catalogue his injuries. He took his temperature and pulled out his stethoscope and listened to his chest. He did not like what he heard.

"Tell Rodney that he needs to get that shield down now. His breathing and heart rate are irregular and I may need to intubate, so we need to get him back to Atlantis as soon as possible!" Carson demanded.

"Ronan to Lorne, please come in?'

"_This is Lorne, have you found them?"_

"Yes we have and Sheppard is in a bad way, the Doc says we need to get him back to Atlantis as soon as possible. So tell Rodney to get that shield down now!" Ronan thundered.

"_Will do, Lorne out." _

A few minutes later Rodney contacted Ronan and told them that the shield was down.

"Carson to the Hammond, we need to be beamed to the Atlantis infirmary _now_!"

Teyla held Dave's hand as they were all transported to the Hammond and back down to Atlantis.

When they arrived in the infirmary, Dr Keller ushered everyone except Carson into the waiting area.

Once the room was cleared Carson began barking orders "Lift him onto a gurney I need to intubate now."

Carson lay the bed down flat and inserted the laryngoscope into John's mouth, before expertly sliding a tube down his throat.

"Temperature's 103 and rising, blood pressure is ninety over sixty, but stable." Jennifer told him.

Jennifer expertly inserted and IV then began to unravel the bandages around his arm and knees, she was shocked by what she saw.

"Carson his knees are a real mess, we really need to do something about them as soon as we can or he may never walk again."

Carson looked at them and agreed. "Okay, prep him for surgery."

"I'll tell his team." Jennifer told Carson.

He nodded and walked away to scrub up, it was going to be a long night. He knew that that the surgery would take at least five hours and after that he had no idea if John would survive, or if he did, whether he would ever walk again.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Once they were ushered into the waiting area. Teyla sat down, Rodney and Ronan started to pace and Dave just stared into space. Lorne and Stackhouse left to give Woolsey a report.

Fifteen minutes later Rodney and Ronan were still pacing when Jennifer came in. Rodney stopped and looked at her with pleading in his eyes.

"How is he?" Teyla whispered softly.

"It doesn't look good, he stopped breathing, when we arrived in the infirmary and we've had to intubate. He has a fever, with a temperature of 103 and his arm and knees are a real mess. We've taken in to surgery. It's going to be at least five hours before we finish, so I suggest you all go and get something to eat and when you're done sleep. David, Dr Cole will be in shortly to check you over."

Teyla suddenly looked worried. "Who has Torren?" She whispered.

"Amelia has him and will look after him overnight." Jennifer answered softly. "Well I have to go, please make sure you rest."

Once Jennifer had left the room they all settled down in the chairs that were scattered around the waiting area. There was absolutely no way that they were going anywhere until they knew that John was alright.

Dr Cole came in a few minutes later looking for Dave. "Mr Sheppard, if you come with me I will check you over."

He looked at her not wanting to leave in case news of John came through. "Don't worry they'll be in there for hours." The Doctor told him.

He followed her to the main part of the infirmary and sat on an examination bed. She looked at his wrists and ankles first.

"Do they hurt Mr Sheppard?"

"No not really and please call me Dave."

"I'll just bandage them up and then I'll take your blood pressure and temperature."

Dave sat still while she completed her exam. "Everything looks okay Dave, but I'd like to keep you overnight for observation, you're dehydrated and I think I'll set up and IV."

"I want to sit with the others." He told her.

"You can until Carson comes with his report and then I want you in a bed. Do you understand?"

"Yes Ma'am." He replied, giving her a mock salute.

When Dave arrived back in the infirmary thirty minutes later he found sandwiches and coffee on the small table in the waiting area.

"I was starved and I needed some coffee." Rodney explained.

"Are you okay Davie?" Teyla asked.

"I just need to stay overnight for observation, but I can stay here until there's news of John."

"Have some food and pull up a chair." Ronan mumbled.

He sat down and took a turkey sandwich. "These are my favourite, how did you know?" Dave commented.

"They are John's favourite as well." Teyla explained.

"Really, he hated them when we were kids." Dave told her, with surprise in his voice.

"It looks like we really need to get together and swap stories about Sheppard." Rodney suggested.

"I'd love that, once we know he's going to be okay." Dave told them.

They sat and talked for a while on trivial matters, before drifting off to sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Carson exited the OR and threw his mask and dirty scrub top in the biohazard bin beside the door. He'd been in surgery for ten hours. That's how long it took to put the Colonel back together this time. He wandered through the infirmary in a daze, he was exhausted, but he knew that there were some very anxious people waiting to hear how he was.

He was about to head out to see them when Jennifer stopped him and whispered quietly in his ear. He sighed, more bad news.

He walked into the waiting area to find people spread out all over the room. There were the remains of a meal on the table. He sighed, because he knew that it would be a while before he could eat and sleep.

Teyla was the first to awaken; she nudged Rodney, who nudged Dave. Pretty soon they were all awake and looking at Carson.

"How is he? Teyla whispered.

"He's still on the ventilator, because he's not breathing on his own. I have repaired the broken bones in his arms using rods and screws. I had to debride the wound where his transmitter was removed, as it was infected. His knees were a mess, we removed the bullets, but there was massive ligament damage and the knee caps were shattered. We did the best we could, but at this point I don't know whether he'll ever walk again. Finally we've put him in a medically induced coma to help the healing process."

"What are his chances of survival?" Dave asked in a shaky voice.

"Slim at best." Carson replied.

**TBC…**


	9. Chapter 9: Back home

**Disclaimer: I am not a Doctor or healthcare professional, so some of my medical terminology may be wrong.**

**Chapter 9: Back on Atlantis.**

"_How is he? Teyla whispered. _

"_He's still on the ventilator, because he's not breathing on his own. I have repaired the broken bones in his arm using rods and screws. I had to debride the wound where his transmitter was removed, as it is infected. His knees are a mess, we removed the bullets, but there was massive ligament damage and the kneecaps were shattered. We did the best we could, but at this point I don't know whether he'll ever walk again. Finally we've put him in a medically induced coma to help the healing process." _

"_What are his chances of survival?" Dave asked in a shaky voice._

"_Slim at best." Carson replied._

Rodney was the first to speak and he was working himself up to a rant. "What do you mean slim at best? He wasn't seriously injured and what do you mean he may never walk again, you're the best doctor in two galaxies, the king of Voodoo medicine and you can fix this. Please fix him." Rodney's eyes were filled with unshed tears, by the time he'd finished.

Teyla walked up to him and put her arms around him while he let the tears fall. They had been here too many times over the last few years and they all knew that one day Carson wouldn't be able to fix him.

"I'm Sorry, but the bug was attached to him longer this time and he received a bigger dose of the toxin. That should work itself out of his system in time. Hopefully it won't be too late and as for his knee's I will contact a friend of mine from Glasgow, he's an orthopaedic Surgeon who specialises in Knee injuries. He's one of the best in the world. I'm just hoping that Stargate Command will grant him security clearance." Carson told them, he was trying to hold back tears as well.

"Thank you Carson. May we see him?" Teyla asked softly.

"Yes, but only two at a time and the only people I want in with him other than Jennifer and myself are the people in this room. Do you understand?"

They all nodded.

"You can see him first Teyla." Rodney told her before continuing. "I must get back to my lab. I remember seeing a medical device in that lab we found d last year. I think it has something to do with bone regeneration through using skin from a person. Do you think something like that would help Carson?"

"Aye it might."

"Dave you can go to." Ronan told him. "I have to track down this rogue Wraith we have on board, before he puts anyone else in danger."

Once Ronan and Rodney had left the room, Carson led Teyla and Dave to the ICU.

When they saw John they were not happy, he was so still. His arm was lying on a pillow with a cast to his elbow. Both of his knees were heavily bandaged and his legs in traction. His arm was heavily bandaged where his transmitter had been taken out and there was sweat beading on the forehead of his ashen grey face. He had so many wires attached to him that it was hard to find a patch of bare skin. The only thing that gave any indication that he was alive was the whoosh of the ventilator.

"He looks so vulnerable right now." Dave told her and then continued on. "When we were being held captive he never gave up hope. He was strong despite what they were doing to him."

"He was trying to protect you Dave; he was being strong for you. He doesn't like anyone seeing him weak." Teyla told him, as she sat down next to John and held his hand.

"He wants to protect you and Torren too. He asked me to make sure you were looked after if anything happened to him. I told him I'd help you with anything you need, especially if you wanted to stay on Earth."

"Thank you Dave. I really appreciate it."

They had fallen into silence when Jennifer came in a few minutes later. She stopped near Teyla and spoke quietly. "I'm about to go of duty. I'll pick up Torren and let him know what's going on. I'll make up a roster to make sure that, there's always someone with him. Hopefully in a few days he'll be able to visit John. Make sure you both get some sleep Carson is in his office if you need anything and Dave Dr Cole wants you in a bed in an hour."

"Thank you Jennifer." She said, all the while wiping John's brow with a damp cloth.

Dave just nodded at her.

They sat in silence lost in their own memories of John. Dave thought about the time when John was fourteen and had fallen of his big black stallion named Jupiter. He'd broken his arm and been in a coma for a week. Dave had sat by his bedside most of the week, worried sick. It was soon after their mother had died, so his father had been too tied up with work and grief to sit with him. He hoped that this situation would not end any differently and John would wake up.

*Teyla sat thinking about the time John had been affected by the phase shifting device. He'd been in a coma for over two weeks. She had admitted her feelings for him them, but by the time he'd recovered she was back with Kanaan. When John had awoken, he'd told her that he would always be there for her and he had been. Now it would be her turn to be there for him.

Dr Cole approached Dave and startled him from his thoughts. "David, I'd like you to come and lie down now please?"

Dave looked at Teyla and she nodded at him. "I will stay with John and if anything happens, I will let you know immediately."

"Thanks." He told her, as he let Dr Cole lead him away.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Jennifer left the infirmary and headed straight for Amelia's quarters to pick up Torren. She had no idea what she was going to tell the boy, but she had to tell him something.

She was about to press the door chime when the door opened. Torren was asleep on the couch in the living area.

Amelia asked. "How is Colonel Sheppard.?"

"Not good." Jennifer told her.

Jennifer looked over at the couch to see the little boy beginning to wake. "Aunt Jenn."

"Hey Torren, do you want to come and have something to eat?"

He nodded his head and then asked. "Where Momma, Where Daddy?"

Jennifer took a breath before answering. "You're Daddy has come back from San Francisco, very sick, he is in the infirmary recovering and you're Momma is with him."

"I see im." Torren asked putting his thumb in his mouth.

"Not today sweetheart."

Torren nodded and held his hands up, indicating to Jennifer that he wanted to be picked up.

"Me tired, go to seep?" He indicated, by closing his eyes.

"I'm tired to, so let's go back to my quarters and put a DVD in and you can fall asleep while watching it. I'll get you something to eat when you wake up okay?"

He nodded and waved to his Aunt Amelia as they walked out the door.

When they arrived at Jennifer's quarters, she put "Toy story" in for him Torren to watch. She lay him on the couch and put a blanket over him.

"See Daddy after seep?" He asked her.

"Not today sweetheart. Maybe; in a few days." Jennifer told him, hoping that she wasn't actually lying to the boy.

He nodded and closed his eyes drifting of too sleep.

Jennifer felt sorry for the boy. He had formed such a bond with Colonel Sheppard that if anything ever happened to his daddy, she didn't know if Torren would survive, but that was what life was like in the Pegasus Galaxy people died all the time. Death was part of life for people like the Athosians. Jennifer just didn't expect one of their own to die on Earth at the hands of people seeking revenge and she prayed that it wouldn't come to pass.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Woolsey had been in his office all night catching up on paperwork, he was tired and hungry, so he didn't appreciate it when Ronan came barging in.

"What can I do for you Mr Dex?" He asked, impatiently.

"I want to search for the rogue wraith that is loose on Atlantis." Ronan grumbled

"I will assign Lorne to help you, when he has had a few hours' sleep. I suggest you do the same. I know that I will be, it has been a long night."

"I can't sleep right now I have to be doing something?" He told Woolsey.

"Well I will call Lorne to help you in two hours, until then why don't you sit with Colonel Sheppard." Woolsey suggested.

Ronan grunted and left the room.

Woolsey sighed; he really needed to get some sleep. They hadn't even been on Earth for two weeks and already his second in command had been taken hostage and experimented on. He longed to be back in Pegasus and he hoped that John Sheppard would be there with them when they returned.

There was a soft knock at his office door. He looked up to find Chuck staring at him.

"What can I do for you Chuck?" He asked, rubbing his temples.

"I have a transmission from General O'Neill for you."

"Put it through to my computer thanks Chuck."

"No problems." Chuck told him and walked out of the room.

A few minutes later General O'Neill's face appeared on his computer screen.

"_Hello Richard, How's Sheppard."_

"Not good Jack, the Doctors have him in a medically induced coma and they say that his knees are a mess."

"_Yes, I have a request from Dr Beckett for a Dr McKnight to be able to come to Atlantis to have a look at him. Apparently he's the best knee surgeon in the world. You can tell Dr Beckett that were tracking him down now and getting him to sign the confidentiality agreements."_

"That's good news Jack. I really can't run Atlantis without Colonel Sheppard, especially if we are to go back to the Pegasus Galaxy."

"_We're still working on that Richard. The President seems to be coming around to our way of thinking and Colonel Sheppard won't lose his command in a hurry, we'll give him every opportunity to heal. We want him to have the best treatment that the Earth has to offer."_

"Thanks Jack. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"_A Dr Judy Everett contacted me five hours ago, turning herself in. She has given me all the notes on her Iratus bug research and I'm sending it through to you. I'm hoping that there will be something there that can help Sheppard. She also gave up here colleagues, but she fears for her life, so I haven't been able to get any information on the Trust from her as yet. Did you know that you have a security breach?_

"Yes we are aware, but we haven't had a chance to track down who it is."

"_Well Everett gave us a name. It was Dr Adam Samuels. He was rotated of Atlantis a week after we arrived. We went looking for him at his last known location and all we found was his body and he had been shot dead. It was probably the Trust._

"We have detected a rogue Wraith on Atlantis, Lorne and Ronan along with Todd will resume a search for him in an hour. We're assuming that's the way the Trust procured an Iratus bug."

"_Not one, we found four at their base of operations. Plus the dead one that I assume Ronan killed. The lab has been destroyed along with the bugs. I really hope there isn't anymore."_

"I hope so too."

"_I must go now Richard as I have a meeting to attend, but keep me apprised of Sheppard's condition. I'm very fond of the Colonel."_

"I will do Jack."

The transmission cut off and Woolsey went back to his paperwork.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Rodney left the infirmary and headed straight for his lab, he knew that he had a device that could help Sheppard, he just had to find the Information on how it works in the ancient data base.

When he arrived Zelenka had just arrived and put the coffee on ready for the day.

"Radek, do you remember that device we found last week, the one that we thought could be a bone regeneration device?"

"Yes Rodney I remember."

"Well we may need to find it and research it as soon as possible; it may be the key to Sheppard walking again."

"I'm sorry to hear of his condition and I will do anything I can to help Rodney."

"Thanks Radek."

"The coffee's ready Rodney. Would you like a cup?"

"Thanks Radek that would be great."

They sat side by side staring at their computer screens and drinking their coffee. Rodney knew that it was a long shot, but they needed to find something to help Sheppard. He couldn't imagine what would happen if Sheppard couldn't walk.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Carson was in his office napping when his com activated.

"_Woolsey to Beckett come in please?"_

"What can I do for you Mr Woolsey?"

"_I'm sending you all the data that was collected on Colonel Sheppard, during the Trust's illegal experiments."_

"How the hell did you get your hands on that?"

"_It seems that one of the scientists had a conscience after all."_

"Thanks, I'll see it there is anything I can use, Carson out."

"_Keep me informed, Woolsey out."_

Carson looked at the data that had been set to him and decided that he needed some help.

He tapped on his earpiece

"Beckett to Keller come in."

"_Go ahead Carson."_

Mr Woolsey has just sent me observations on the experiments that were performed illegally on Colonel Sheppard. I would like you help to analyse them.

"_I'm just dropping Torren of at Amelia's again and then I'll come to the infirmary, Keller out."_

"See you soon, Beckett out."

Ten minutes later Carson was looking over the Data with great interest, when Jennifer walked in.

"How's it going Carson?"

"This is incredible; there was a twenty percent increase in the healing rate in Colonel Sheppard's arm, when the bug was attached to him and obviously there was no pain recorded when he was injured."

"That is some good data, but don't forget he had a bug attached to his neck and he was there against his will. I really can't condone gaining scientific knowledge that way." Jennifer told him.

"Aye I know luv, but are we any different in what we did to Michael, when we injected him with the retrovirus that I created?" Carson asked her, still feeling the guilt over that decision. Even though technically, he didn't make that decision, because he was a clone of the original Carson Beckett.

"Whether we were right in that decision or not, it was Michael's choice to experiment on others for his own purposes. I can't see Colonel Sheppard ever running of and torturing others, even though he didn't have a choice and they practically tortured him to gain this data. There's always a more humane way. The research may take longer, but the end result is the same."

"Aye you're right lass, but let's see if we can find something here to help Colonel Sheppard."

"What if he doesn't want us to use that data?" Jennifer asked him.

"Then I suppose, if he wakes up we'll give him the choice." Carson suggested.

They continued their philosophical conversation until they were interrupted by the monitors in John's room starting to wail and Ronan started to call for them to come quickly. They looked at each other and rushed out of the room, worried by what they might find.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Ronan arrived back in the infirmary forty minutes after he had left. He found Teyla asleep with her head resting on John's bed. He shook her shoulder, trying to wake her.

"Teyla." He whispered in her ear.

She stirred and he shook her again. "What time is it?" She asked groggily.

"About you went and had a rest. I will sit with him for a while."

"It would be good to have a rest. I will go to my quarters for some sleep and then I will check on Torren."

She kissed John and the forehead. "I will see you soon my love." She whispered in his ear and then she left the room.

Just as she was leaving Dave came in dressed, in a pair of jeans and T-shirt.

"Where did you get those clothes from?" Ronan asked.

"Marie found them for me; she thought that the clothes I had on were a little too formal. How is he Ronan?" He asked, taking Johns hand.

"No change."

Dave looked at Ronan wondering just how close he and John were, eventually he spoke asking the question he'd wanted to ask ever since he'd met him at their fathers funeral last year.

"Ronan I've been wondering this ever since we first met, but how did you meet John."

"I was on a planet running from the Wraith, when I stunned John and Teyla, tied them up and took them hostage."

"Why?" Dave asked him, looking confused.

"They had ancient technology. I was interested in it. Anyway the fact is that even though I'd stunned him and tied him up he offered to help me. He gave me a home and a family and he became my brother."

"Thankyou Ronan, for looking after him and always having his back. I'm supposed to be his brother and I didn't speak to him in over five years."

"I never understood that." Ronan looked thoughtful and continued. "I lost my whole family, my whole planet to the Wraith and yet people on your world just don't get along."

"I guess if they realised what was out there, maybe they would try." Dave told him, looking a bit sheepish.

"You know I had an older brother, he perished along with the rest of my people. Sheppard reminds me of him. Tymon was always putting himself in harm's way for the sake of others. He was kind, loyal and compassionate, just like Sheppard."

"Yeah he got into a fair few fights at school sticking up for the underdog and confronting the school bullies." Dave told him, happy to be reminiscing.

"Umm... Dave, I'm not really very good at this emotional stuff, so don't tell anyone else about Tymon. Other than John and Teyla you're the only other person I've told."

"Thank you for sharing that Ronan."

They were sitting there in silence, still uncomfortable with their last conversation, when monitors began to wail and John started to gag on the tube down his throat.

Dave sprang up and pressed the call button and Ronan started to shout for Carson.

Carson came running in followed by Jennifer.

"What's happening to him Doc's?" Ronan growled.

"He is fighting the vent." Jennifer told them.

"He shouldn't be fighting the vent, when he's in a medically induced coma, he shouldn't be aware of his surroundings." Carson told them

"Shall we, extubate?" Jennifer suggested.

"Aye I think so." Carson agreed.

"Dave and Ronan, you'll have to leave right away." Carson instructed.

They backed out of the room staring at John all the while.

Jennifer put the head of the bed down and Carson turned the ventilator of and expertly removed the tube. They placed and oxygen mask over his face and held their breath, hoping that he would start breathing on his own.

They were relieved when he took a deep breath and then another, eventually his breathing settled into a normal pattern.

**TBC…**

**I don't remember Ronan ever speaking about his family, but I thought that I would give him a little bit of a back story.**

***These events can be read about in my story "Just another day in Pegasus."**


	10. Chapter 10: The intruder discovered

**Chapter 10: The intruder discovered.**

Ronan was heading down a dark corridor; his weapon ready, followed by Todd. They had tracked the wraith presence down to this area of the city. Ronan was out on the hunt now that it looked as if John would wake up soon.

He couldn't sit still he had to be doing something, to protect the city. They had no idea what this Wraith might do next, so they had to track him down.

"I hear that JJohn SShheppard will awake soon?" Todd commented.

"Yep." Ronan replied, shortly.

"That is good news is it not?" Todd asked, trying to have a conversation with him.

"Yep"

Todd tried again. "Teyla will be happy won't she?"

"Yep."

"I hear the she has taken JJohn SShheppard as her mate."

This got Ronan's attention. He turned around to face him. "That is none of your dam business." He growled.

"At least I know you can talk now."

Ronan just glared at him before turning around and continuing on down the dark passageway that they were exploring.

They walked in silence for a few minutes before Todd tapped him on the shoulder.

"He's in the next room." Todd told him.

"Stay behind me and don't feed on him." Ronan told him.

They entered to room and what they saw surprised Ronan, sitting in the middle of the room was a man obviously in deep meditation. There were scented Athosian candles around the room and a small bed in the corner. Whoever this was had been on Atlantis for a while.

Ronan stepped forward and tapped the man on the shoulder his gun at the ready. Suddenly the man turned around and Ronan was shocked. The face looked different to what he remembered, but he immediately knew who it was.

"Kanaan what the _hell _are you _doing here_? Are you the one who handed the bugs off to the Trust?"

Kanaan studied Ronan intensely, before he spoke. "It is good to see you again Ronan. Yes I was the one who brought the bugs to Atlantis and I did it for one reason, to claim back what was stolen from me, by Colonel Sheppard."

Ronan just laughed at him. "You mean Teyla and Torren? I think you're being a bit delusional."

"When he is dead I know she will turn to me." Kanaan smirked at him.

"Well bad news buddy, John Sheppard is very much alive and won't be dying anytime soon." Ronan grinned, as he spoke.

Todd closed his eyes for a minute before speaking. "He has the ability to manipulate others thoughts and feelings."

"Is there anything we can do about that?" Ronan asked Todd.

"I believe your Doctor Beckett's retrovirus might work."

"I doubt he'll let us give it to him willingly." Ronan said, as he pulled out his gun and stunned the man.

Ronan tapped his radio. "Woolsey its Ronan come in."

"_Yes Ronan what can I do for you."_

"Todd and I found the scum who handed off the Iratus bugs."

"_I thought I told you not to go, without Major Lorne and his team."_

"They were busy, I wasn't and neither was Todd, so we went and found him I'm taking him down to a holding cell now. We may need a doctor, so send Beckett."

"_Do you know the individual?" _

"Sure do. It's Kanaan, Ronan out."

"Okay take him to a holding cell, Woolsey out.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Three hours later Teyla returned to the ICU to find the Doctors surrounding John. Her heart skipped a beat. "Is he okay Doctors?"

"Yes we took him off the vent this morning and he should be waking soon, if you'd like to sit with him." Carson told him.

"His fever broke at about the same time." Jennifer informed her and then continued. "He may be in a lot of pain when he wakes up, because the toxin from the Iratus bug has almost left his system. When he wakes up let us know and we can give him something for it."

"Thank you, Jennifer, thankyou Carson." She told them and went and sat next to John and held his hand.

Jennifer and Carson left the ICU and went back to the medical Lab to continue their research. They worked on for an hour, before Jennifer looked up with a huge grin on her face.

"Have you found something?" Carson asked.

"Sure have." She told him. According to the research this is the compound in the toxin that has the healing abilities. I believe if we can synthesise the compound we can use it to increase healing in damaged tissue, possibly even bones. It may even help me perfect the treatment to stop wraith from having to feed and still be able to maintain their healing abilities."

"That's brilliant news. How easy will it be to synthesise the compound?" Carson asked.

"A lot of these chemicals are in plants, whether we have the right plants here or whether we have to go back to the Pegasus Galaxy to get them is a different matter."

Carson was about to Comment when his Com activated. "Yes Mr Woolsey what can I do for you?"

"_Ronan and Todd have captured the intruder; they have taken him to a holding cell and have asked that you come down to offer medical assistance. Todd believes he has the ability to manipulate what others are thinking."_

"Do you know who it is?"

"_It's Kanaan."_

"Okay I'm on my way, Beckett out."

"_I'll see you there, Woolsey out."_

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

The darkness was surrounding him, but he saw a patch of light up ahead, then he felt something soft and silky in his hand and someone, an angel and she was singing the most beautiful song. John was wondering if he should approach the light and maybe find out what was in his hand and who was singing, or whether he should remain in the darkness. As he became more aware, he began to feel incredible pain in his arms and his knees, he wondered what had happened to him. There's only one way to find out he thought, eventually after a few tries he managed to open his eyes and saw the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. His fiancée was looking down at him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla was singing a traditional Athosian lullaby when she felt a slight pressure in her hand. She looked down and saw a beautiful pair of hazel eyes staring at her.

"John it is good to see you awake."

He just moaned at her trying to say something.

"Would you like some ice?"

"Yes." He managed to whisper.

Teyla held a spoon of ice to his lips; he ate it and let it slide down his throat. Right now it felt better than sex. He was sure that he would change his mind when he was able to make love to Teyla again.

"I will go and get Jennifer and she can tell you what's going on."

"Kay". He answered, groggily.

He lay there in silence trying to work out what had happened to him this time. He remembered an Iratus bug, a gun and a hammer. Other than that, he really had no idea how he had ended up in the infirmary this time.

By the time Teyla came back with Jennifer, he was ready to dose off again.

"Colonel, how are you feeling?" Jennifer asked him.

"Hurtsss," he slurred.

"I can give you something for that in a minute." She told him. "But first, what do you remember?"

"There….was….a….bug….it…..jumped….at…me." He took a breath before continuing. "Then….they…..broke…my….arm...and…shot…me…in…the….knees. Then…I don't ….remember….anything." He stuttered.

His heart rise started to rise as he realised what he'd just said. "My…knees…will…I…be…able…to…walk?" He moaned.

He tried to look down at his knees, but there was a sheet covering them. He continued to panic until he felt Teyla holding on to his face.

"John, calm down. Jennifer will explain everything to you, but you must remain calm."

He looked at her and nodded and then turned to look at Jennifer.

"Colonel, your knee caps were shattered and we had to remove a lot of bone. We have repaired what we can, but we still don't know if that will be enough."

He looked at her and started to panic again, as tears welled up in his eyes.

Jennifer spoke again. "John, look at me? "John looked at her and she continued. "We are doing everything we can. Carson has requested that the best knee surgeon in the world come to Atlantis and Rodney is researching an ancient device he found the other day. It may take time, but we are doing everything we can. We won't give up, so neither should you."

He tried to move to get more comfortable and it awoke every pain in his body and he moaned in agony.

A thought came to him before Teyla or Jennifer had a chance to say anything else. Where was Dave? Was he okay? He knew that Dave had been with him when he was taken and experimented on. It was all coming back to him; he'd been experimented on, because Kavanagh and a few others wanted revenge on him. His heart rate was rising again.

"Wheress Dave?" He slurred.

"Dave is safe; he has been given guest quarters and has gone to rest." Teyla soothed

John nodded and started to settle again. Jennifer injected something into his IV and he felt his eyelids drooping as the cool soothing liquid started to flow through his veins.

Teyla looked at Jennifer with fear in her eyes and asked her. "What happens to John if he never walks again? Will he have to stay on Earth?"

"I honestly don't know Teyla, but I'll do everything in my power to make sure that doesn't happen okay."

"Thank you, Jennifer." She told her and then turned back to John, taking his hand in hers and kissing him on the forehead, before settling down until he woke up again.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Carson entered the area with the holding cells to find Ronan standing over Kanaan with a gun.

"Did you shoot him Ronan?" Carson asked, suspiciously.

"Yep I did."

"Why."

It was Todd who answered him. "He has the ability to manipulate others thoughts."

"So I stunned him, before he had a chance to do it to me." Ronan mumbled, at Carson.

"Great." Carson mumbled."

"Will your retrovirus work Dr Beckett?" Woolsey asked entering the room.

"Aye it might, but I will need a brain scan, to see what's happening to him. I suggest we move him to an isolation room and I keep him sedated until we can figure out what's going on." Carson suggested.

"I don't want him anywhere near Colonel Sheppard or Teyla." Woolsey told him, firmly.

"Aye I agree."

"Permission granted Doctor. I trust you'll see to the details." Woolsey inquired.

"Aye, I'll get right on it." Carson told him, tapping his radio.

"Marie can you send a gurney to the holding cells right away and I need you to set up isolation room one?"

"_Certainly, Doctor Becket, I'll get on it right away."_

Thanks Marie, Beckett out.

Carson sighed and looked down at Kanaan and thought, what a bloody mess. Colonel Sheppard was severely injured, because this man couldn't let go of the past. Hell a lot of people couldn't let go of the past.

Teyla was going to be disturbed when she found out the lengths Kanaan had gone to, so he could be together with her again. Poor John, it seemed that people blamed him for everything that went wrong in their lives, when all he was trying to do was his job. He knew that he had to everything in his power to make sure that John recovered fully, so he turned around and headed back to the medical lab, to continue his research.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Three days had passed since John's return to Atlantis. In that time Carson had indeed discovered an area of Kanaan's brain that wasn't active before, he had kept him sedated and injected him with another dose of the retrovirus, Carson wouldn't awaken him until he was sure that it had been successful. He had no idea what they would do with him then. Atlantis was no closer to returning to the Pegasus Galaxy than they had been when they got to Earth.

He was sitting in his lab studying the compound that he and Jennifer had discovered in the Iratus bug toxin, when his com activated.

""_Woolsey to Carson, come in please."_

"I'm here Mr Woolsey go ahead."

"_A Dr James McKnight has just arrived in Atlantis he is in my office at the moment."_

"Okay I'm on my way, Carson out."

Carson got up and went into look at his Patient. It had been two days since John had first woken up, but he was looking so much better. Dave was in with him at the moment, but John had never been left alone, there was always someone from his team with him. He sighed wondering when he would wake up again. The rest had been good for him. It had been a deep healing sleep, but if he didn't wake up on his own soon, he knew that he would have to wake him.

Carson turned and walked out of the door heading for the control room.

When he arrived in Woolsey's office McKnight stood up and shook his hand.

"Carson this is incredible, it's hard to believe that this is what you've been doing for the last six years."

"I know and despite the hardships we have faced, I still wouldn't trade it for anything."

"How, is you patient?" McKnight asked him.

"He's asleep at the moment. Would you like to be shown to some quarters? I'll let you know when he wakes up." Carson suggested

"No I'm eager to get to work. Can you show me any scans of his knees that you have?"

"Okay then come with me?" Carson instructed.

"I'll have your bags taken to quarters and when you're finished, I'll have someone show you the way." Woolsey told him.

Carson and McKnight nodded and headed off to the infirmary.

They arrived in the infirmary to hear John's monitors wailing and when they heard him scream they went racing into his room.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_He was heading down a dark damp corridor, there was a chirping sound all around him. It was pitch black, until he reached a cave and what he saw terrified him, Dave was tied up and there were Iratus bugs crawling all over him, none of them were feeding on him, they were just crawling and chirping. Suddenly a bug jumped up from behind and latched on to his neck. Then it started to feed, agony ripped through his body, not unlike the time that he'd been fed on by a wraith. He was trying to pull it off and someone was holding his hand down and pressing on his shoulders. Then he screamed._

Dave was dosing by John's bed when he started to struggle a bead of sweat was dripping off his forehead as he tried to raise his arm to his throat. He was trying to tear at it as if there was something attached.

John grabbed his shoulders and started to talk to him. "John, it's just a nightmare, you're safe in the infirmary."

John continued to struggle, smashing his arm against the arm rail and then he screamed. He awoke to find that he was shaking all over and having difficulty in catching his breath.

Carson came in at that moment with a man that neither Dave nor John had seen before.

Carson proceeded to take his vitals all the while talking to him. "Are you okay Colonel? How is the pain?"

I'm fine Doc, just a nightmare." John forced out in between laboured breaths.

"That must have been some nightmare." Dave commented.

"On a scale of one to ten, how's the pain." Carson asked him with concern.

"It's about a two."

"So, it's a seven then." Carson grinned.

"Probably." John mumbled.

"John, Dave this is Dr McKnight, he's going to be helping with John's knees."

Dave shook his hand and introduced himself and John. "I'm David Sheppard and this is my brother Colonel John Sheppard."

I'm pleased to meet you both. I wish it were under better circumstances. I'll get out of your hair for now and let you get some rest. I need to look at some scans of your knees and then I can see what we can do." McKnight told them.

Carson injected some pain meds into John's IV and left the room.

After the two Doctors had left the room Dave looked at John, "How are you really John?"

"It's not the first time I've had nightmares and it won't be the last."

"I've barely slept, since we've been back in Atlantis, as I keep having nightmares about those horrible bugs, so if you ever want to talk I'm here for you." Dave offered him.

"Thanks Dave, how long have we been back."

"We've been back for three days. "Dave told him.

"I've been asleep all that time?"

"No John you were in a medically induced coma for one of them and you slept for the other two."

John sighed. "Do you know what happened to Kavanagh and the others?"

"Apparently Everett turned herself in and then gave up her associates as well. She also handed all of their research to Stargate command. Carson is hopeful that there might be something there that can help you." Dave told him.

"I'm not sure I would want to have anything to do with that research. Who knows how many other poor souls they had to torture to get it?"

"I think you were the first test subject and besides, what if it can help you walk again?" Dave asked him with concern.

"I'll take my chances. Maybe this Dr McKnight can figure something out."

Dave nodded. He certainly understood where his brother was coming from.

"So where's Teyla?" John asked, changing the subject.

"She's gone to have a lie down and check on Torren. He's been missing his daddy a lot. I've spent some time with him over the last couple of days and he's a great kid. You're so lucky to have him."

"I know. I've filled out the adoption papers, so that when Teyla and I are married, he will officially be my son." John told him with pride.

Teyla will be back in about an hour and she was going to ask Dr Beckett if she could bring Torren into see you."

I can't wait to see him and Teyla. I know that Teyla's been here while I've been sleeping, but I haven't really seen her."

Dave just smiled at him. His little brother was so happy with Teyla and Torren that he almost felt jealous of him. He really needed to work less and find someone to settle down with.

John looked at him and asked, "Have you had a full tour of Atlantis yet?"

"No, when I haven't been with you I've been eating and sleeping." Dave told him, grinning.

"Well make sure Teyla shows you around when she gets a chance."

They spoke for a while longer, before Johns eyelids began to droop. A few minutes later he was fast asleep.

**TBC…**

**I'd still love to know what you think, so don't forget to review.**


	11. Chapter 11: Waiting for a miracle

**Chapter 11: Waiting for a miracle.**

Teyla looked at the man in the holding cell, she had shared a bed with him and he was the father of her child and she thought she knew him, but the man she saw before her was not that man. He disgusted her, for trying to take John away from her.

Woolsey had called her to his office earlier in the day to tell her that they had Kanaan in the holding cells and that he had been the one who has supplied the trust with the Iratus bugs'. She was shocked, as she never believed that he would be capable of such a thing.

Looking at him now, she had one question to ask him.

"Why, did you try and take John away from us?"

"Why do you think?" He snarled at her before continuing. "He took everything away from me; he took you and my son. He helped Atlantis create Michael, who kidnapped and experimented on me and my fellow Athosians. Then I find out that the treatment that your Dr Keller used to change us back to our normal state didn't work on me. I still had some Wraith abilities, so I formulated a plan to exact revenge. Do you realise that I don't even have the abilities I was born with any longer? When I was discovered I was injected with the retro virus again and it took all my abilities away. I have nothing left all because of Colonel Sheppard."

"You could have lived a normal fulfilling life back on Athos. What happened to the girl you were seeing before we left Pegasus?"

He just ignored her, so she continued on.

Why did you seek out revenge? Do you realise that John was experimented on against his will? You are no better than Michael and you have now ruined your own life, because I never want to see you again Kanaan and you will never see my son. You are no longer his father, John has taken over that responsibility and when we are married John will officially adopt him, according to Earth customs and when we get back to Athos we will make it official there as well. Goodbye Kanaan." She spat out before turning her back on him forever.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla was steaming by the time she entered the infirmary.

Carson was in his office with James McKnight poring over the scans of Sheppard's knees when she entered.

"Teyla, you're just in time we were just going to have a talk with Colonel Sheppard. Would you like to join us?"

"Sure." She said, and followed them to John's private room.

He had been moved from the ICU this morning as he was out of danger and healing well.

When she entered the room she walked up to Johns bed and grabbed his hand. "Hello my love how are you this afternoon?"

"I'm fine except Carson made me eat some kind of terrible broth for lunch; I thought he was trying to kill me and he won't let me go to the bathroom, he's making me pee in a bottle." He complained.

"I'm sorry about the food Colonel, we'll build up to more solid foods, so that when you do eat them, they'll stay in your stomach and as for the bathroom, Dr McKnight and I need to talk to you about your knees." Carson explained with compassion.

"Can you do anything or not?" John asked, with fear in his eyes.

It was Dr McKnight who delivered the news. "We have had some success with replacing the knee caps with artificial ones. They are made out of a hard plastic that we can surgically attach to tendons and ligaments. You still have all you ligaments and tendons relatively undamaged, so there's a good chance that this will work."

"What are my chances Doc?" Sheppard asked.

"Of the fifty percent of people who regained the use of their legs fifty percent of those went on to regain full use of their legs and knees." McKnight told him.

"Not such great odds Doc."

"It's all we've got for now, Rodney is still researching the data base and may still come up with something, but for now that's all we can offer." Carson told him.

"Okay Docs let me have some time to think about it?"

"Sure Colonel, we'll just be in my office." Carson patted John on the shoulder before he and James left the room.

Once the Doctors had gone John looked at Teyla and asked her. "What's bothering you?"

"Why do you think that there is something bothering me John?"

"I can see it in your eyes Sweetie." He told her with a smile that lit up his face.

"I want to be married straight away; I do not want to wait."

"Teyla I'd be happy to get married as soon as I'm out of this place, but what is really going on?"

"They found out who procured the Iratus bugs." She took a deep breath before she continued. "It was Kannan, apparently you took everything away from him and he wanted it back."

John looked at her not really sure what so say. That's what everyone seemed to think of him lately. That was how he ended up in his current predicament. He took a breath and asked her. "What are they going to do with him?"

"They do not know."

He began to stroke her hand and spoke soothingly to her. "It's okay Teyla everything will be alright and if you want to get married as soon as possible, we'll get married right here on Atlantis. I'll have to convince the Docs to let me out of here first, but I can't wait to be married to you sweetie, but do you still want to marry me even if I'm crippled for the rest of my life." He asked her, seriously.

She loved it when he used that term of endearment, so she used her pet name for him as she spoke. "I love you honey and I want to be married to you no matter what, whether you can walk or not. Whether we stay on Earth or go back to Pegasus, it doesn't really matter to me, because I want you John Sheppard."

"I love you too sweetie."

She leant down to kiss him on the lips, he responded as forcefully as he could from his infirmary bed. Their tongues intertwined, they didn't hear anyone enter the room.

"What are _you_ up to little brother?" Dave asked, trying to hide the grin on his face.

John and Teyla quickly pulled apart to see Torren and Dave standing in the doorway.

"Why daddy and momma kiss, yucky?" Torren asked Dave.

"I think they really love each other T.J." Dave told him. Dave had started calling Torren by T.J as well and Torren didn't seem to mind.

"I luh them too, I don't kiss all the time, kiss yucky."

The three adults looked at each other and laughed. Torren rushed over to John and Teyla lifted him to the bed.

"Daddy I luh you." He told him, throwing his arms around John's neck and kissing him on the cheek.

"I've really missed you, and I love you too pal." John told Torren, using his good arm and hugging him close.

"Me seep ere?" Torren asked, curling up beside John and putting his thumb in his mouth.

"You can for now sweetheart." Teyla told him.

Torren turned to face John and promptly fell asleep.

John looked at Dave and asked him. "How do you feel about helping, Teyla and I plan a wedding. As soon as the Doc's let me out of her, I want to be married."

Dave looked at Teyla and spoke. "I heard what happened with Kanaan. I'm so sorry." Looking at John he asked. "Do they know what they're going to do with him?"

"I don't really care and for now, it's not my problem." John told him, with disdain in his voice.

"Now back to this wedding. What do you want us to wear?" Dave asked.

"I'm thinking I will wear my dress blues, as I know that Teyla loves it when I wear them."

Teyla blushed and spoke. "I think I will have my bride's maids in emerald green. How does that sound?"

"I love it." John told her, He continued on asking her. "Do you know who you're having?"

"Jennifer, Amelia, Jeannie. Who are you having as your groomsmen?"

"I've asked Dave to be my best man and I've asked Ronan and Rodney, I want to ask Carson, but I haven't gotten around to it as yet."

"I would like to ask Ronan to give me away. I don't have a father alive to do it, so the closest thing I have is a brother and Ronan is like a brother to me."

"You've been reading up a lot on Earth weddings haven't you?" Dave commented.

"Jennifer keeps leaving bridal magazines in my quarters; I think that she would like to get married soon." Teyla told him.

"Really the Doc and McKay, married?" John asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Why is that such a surprise?" Teyla asked him.

John just shrugged

Dave rescued him, by shouting for Beckett to come into the room.

Carson came running with McKnight in tow, "What's happening is John okay?" Beckett asked.

"Everything's fine Doc, John has a question he wants to ask you."

Carson looked at John, wondering what was on his mind. "Carson, when you finally let me out of here I want to get married and I was wondering if you would like to be one of my groomsmen?"

"I would be honoured." Carson told him, a grin spreading across his face.

"Great, so when can I get out of here Doc?" John asked.

"We'll talk about that later." Carson told him, leaving the room with Dr McKnight in tow.

"Okay now that's settled. Back to my original question, what do you want the guys to wear?"

"I'm thinking dark suits, with emerald green ties." John suggested.

"Sound's perfect." Dave told him, grinning.

"I was going to ask Maddie Miller to be a flower girl. Do you thing Torren could be a page boy?" Teyla suggested.

"It's fine by me." John told her.

They sat there talking about wedding plans for quite a while and before John knew it his eyes were drooping.

Teyla and Dave looked at him and told him that was enough for today. Dave grabbed Torren off the bed just as John's eyes closed and he fell into a deep restful sleep.

"I'll see you tomorrow Teyla and thanks for that tour earlier."

"You are most welcome Dave." She told him, smiling.

Teyla sat next to John's bed and sighed; it had been a long day and although it had started off badly, things had gotten better as the day went along. She looked at her sleeping fiancée and although they didn't know what the future would hold, she knew that they would face it together.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Woolsey had managed to get out of his office for lunch, for the first time in a week. He had just returned to his office when his com activated.

"This is Woolsey."

"_Mr Woolsey its Amelia I have an incoming transmission from stargate command. It's General O'Neill."_

"Thanks Amelia, put it through to my computer."

"_I'm putting it through, Amelia out."_

Woolsey sat down at his desk just as General O'Neill's face popped up on his computer screen.

"What can I do for you General O'Neill?"

"_Well first of all I have some good news. Atlantis is being allowed to return to the Pegasus Galaxy in four weeks' time."_

"That is fantastic news Colonel Sheppard will be happy to hear it. I know that he's been itching to get back there."

"_That may be a problem."_

"What do you mean General?"

"_Unless you can come up with a plan that will guarantee the Colonel's complete recovery, he will have to stay on Earth. We will find a position for him at stargate command, but unless we know that he'll be able to walk again, he won't be going back to Pegasus."_

"Well I hope you're going to be the one to deliver the news, because I won't do it to him. This is his home and by you asking him to stay on Earth you will be breaking up a family. I will not do that to him or Teyla and Torren."

"_I knew you were going to say that. The IOA are firm on this and I tend to agree with them. It doesn't mean I like it, but that's the way it is."_

"What does the President say?"

"_He's left it up to Stargate command and the IOA to make the decision."_

"Well I won't be telling him until closer to the time. The man risked his life for this whole dam planet, was kidnapped and tortured and this is how he's repaid. Have a heart General; let the man find some happiness with Teyla and Torren. If he can't go back to Pegasus, do you think the IOA would let Teyla and Torren remain here on Earth?"

"_You have a strong point. I will see what I can do. Now speaking of Pegasus natives, what are you going to do with Kanaan?"_

"If Atlantis is to head back to the Pegasus Galaxy, I think I'll hand him over to Halling and let him sort it out according to their traditions. Why do you ask?"

"_The IOA want him taken to area 51 for questioning."_

"Well I'm not sure that will happen, I will talk to Colonel Sheppard and Teyla to see what they think, but I think they'll both agree that Kanaan belongs with his people."

"_For now I won't argue, I'll be coming to Atlantis in about a week, see you then."_

"See you then."

Woolsey sat looking at the blank screen after the transmission cut off. He really needed to talk to all three of the Doctors together. He needed to know the bottom line and soon. If Sheppard wasn't able to walk again they needed to come up with another plan, because there was no way he was going to remove John from his home and family.

He tapped his radio. "Woolsey to Beckett, come in."

**XXXXXXXXXX XXX**

Beckett was in the medical lab, with Keller and McKnight when Woolsey's call came in. They had just worked out how to synthesise the healing compound from the Iratus bug Toxin. If they combined it with Dr McKnight artificial knee caps, it improved the Colonel's chances of making a full recovery by twenty percent.

Becket was celebrating when the call came in.

"What can I do for you Mr Woolsey?"

"_Are Doctor's Keller and McKnight with you?"_

"Yes they are. Why do you ask?"

"_We have a bit of a problem. Can the three of you report to my office immediately?"_

"We're on our way, Carson out."

"_I'll see you in five minutes, Woolsey out."_

Carson looked at the other two doctors'; he was worried about what Woolsey might have to say. He had a bad feeling that it concerned John and it wasn't good.

They looked at him anxiously waiting for him to speak, eventually Jennifer broke the silence.

"Carson what's wrong?" 

"Woolsey wants to see us and I don't think its good news." Carson told them.

"Well I guess we'd better get up there and find out." Jennifer suggested.

Carson and James nodded.

Ten minutes later the three doctors were sitting in Woolsey's office. The door was closed and Woolsey didn't look very happy.

"What is this about Mr Woolsey?" Beckett asked.

"The good news is that Atlantis will be heading back to Pegasus in a little over four weeks. The bad news is that Colonel Sheppard may not be going with us." Woolsey told them, the anger rising in his voice.

"Why, the _bloody hell_ not?" Carson exclaimed with a hint of anger in his voice

"Oh no." Jennifer whispered.

"Why not?" McKnight asked, showing the least emotion, because he didn't really know Colonel Sheppard.

"The IOA and Stargate Command has stated unless we can assure them that we can get him back to 100% health. They will need to relieve him of his command here in Atlantis."

"That's bloody cruel. That man has done more to save this planet than half of them will ever know. This is his home, his family and friends are here; Teyla and Torren are here." Carson was in a full blown rant, by the time he'd finished.

"I have been over this with General O'Neill and they stand by their decision."

"Do you know that John and Teyla were planning their wedding this afternoon?" Jennifer whispered softly. "It would be cruel to split them up now, or would the IOA approve of Teyla and Torren moving to Earth."

"Doctor's this is all ground that I covered with General O'Neill earlier and their decision stands." Woolsey told them a little forcefully.

He took a moment to calm himself down before speaking again. "Okay Doctors tell me what you have?"

It was Dr McKnight who started. "At home in Scotland we have had some success in fitting artificial kneecaps made of a hard plastic, but the procedure isn't always 100% successful."

"What are the odds of it succeeding Doctor?" Woolsey asked

" About fifty, fifty."

Jennifer spoke then, telling Woolsey about the Iratus compound that they had discovered.

"I really believe we can synthesise it hear on Atlantis, from the specimens they have in the botany department. Please give us a chance to make it work?" She pleaded.

"I will take it up with Stargate Command and the IOA, but don't hold your breath I'm not sure they will back down." Woolsey told them.

"Well we'd better come up with another plan fast then, because there is no way I'm splitting up the Colonel's family." Beckett told him, with cold anger in his voice.

"Don't think that I'm not on Colonel Sheppard's side here, because believe me I am. I'm just reporting what was said to me and believe me I'm praying for a miracle right now. There is absolutely no way I can run this city without Colonel Sheppard or Teyla. I can't run this city without Rodney or the two of you either." Woolsey looked a Carson and Jennifer before continuing on, "so if we can't come up with a miracle in the next two or three days, we'd better come up with another plan."

It was a sad bunch that left Woolsey's lab and headed back to the medical lab.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

In the three day's since John had arrived back in Atlantis, Rodney had spent most of his time in his lab. He had spent time with Sheppard and time sleeping and eating, but the majority of that time he'd been in his lab.

Radek had been with him for quite a bit of that time, feeding him sandwiches and handing him coffee, but their research had turned up nothing.

He was really beginning to get frustrated, and then he found the answer in the ancient data base. It was so simple really; they could grow Sheppard new knee caps from his skin. The device he'd found would harden them into bone.

This was the most miraculous thing he'd ever read about. The ancients had the ability to grow bone; that had to be one of their better discoveries, as it actually helped people.

Looking at Radek with excitement in his eyes, he tapped his radio.

McKay to Beckett, I've found the answer, I know how to fix John's knees and I'm positive he will be able to walk again.

**TBC…**


	12. Chapter 12: A miracle solution?

**Chapter 12: A miracle solution?**

Teyla and Dave headed towards the south pier. Teyla wanted to surprise John when he came out of the infirmary, so she had decided to ask Dave for his help in locating a family apartment.

Torren was sitting on Dave's shoulders and babbling away about everything that he saw. Dave and Teyla just smiled at each other. Dave and Torren had developed a good relationship over the few days that Torren had spent with him. Teyla thought that it was good for Dave. It was helping the usually stiff business man relax and have some fun.

They came to the family apartment, which Teyla had wanted to look at. Teyla waved her hand over the door panel and they stepped inside.

They had their breath taken away by what they saw. In the main area there was a kitchen with a dining room, a large living space with a floor to ceiling window, leading to a balcony which overlooked the south pier. They stepped out on to the balcony and they were amazed by what they saw. The view was breathtaking; it would be a fantastic place to watch the sunset.

They wandered into one of the room's on the left side of the living space. There were cupboards along an entire wall.

Torren started chanting. "My room, my room." Dave let him of his shoulders and he started to explore every inch of the room.

"Perhaps." Teyla told him.

They left Torren in his room and headed down a passage way to the left of the room that Torren was exploring. At the end they came to a huge room with a balcony overlooking the ocean. There was an ensuite with a toilet, shower and bath. Next to that was a huge walk in closet.

"This will definitely be our room." Teyla told Dave, with excitement in her eyes.

They exited the large room into the passage way again and noticed two rooms of to one side and one on the other side. They all had cupboards set up along an entire wall. There was also a bathroom and toilet on the side with only one room.

The décor of the apartment was an off white and the tiles in the bathroom and toilets were a pale blue. We might need to change that Teyla thought.

"T.J," Dave called. "Come in here we've found more rooms?"

Torren came running and Dave led him into the middle of the second largest bedroom. It was bigger than to room off the living area.

He stood in the middle and chanted. "My room, my room."

Dave and Teyla just laughed.

"What will we do with all these extra rooms? The one of the living area would make a good office, but what about the others?" Teyla asked.

"There would certainly be room for you two to have more kids." Dave suggested, with a twinkle in his eye.

"I think we spoke about it once and John was unconscious at the time, so we haven't really given it much thought." Teyla told him, blushing.

"Well I can imagine you two with a whole bunch. You're both so good with Torren. I think you're both incredible parents."

"Thank you Dave." Teyla told him, blushing again. "Now what about you Dave, is there anyone special in your life?"

Now it was Dave's turn to blush. "There is someone I'm interested in."

"Ask her out Dave and don't wait six years to do it." Teyla told him, she wished that she had told John sooner about how she had felt, because John, was not very good at expressing his emotions, until they arrived back on Earth and for some reason everything changed.

"I met her about three months ago at a business lunch, but I should ask her out soon or I may miss the opportunity."

"I think this is our apartment Dave. I will need to contact Richard to make sure everything is Okay. If it is I will need to ask for help for our things to be moved in before John comes out of the infirmary."

"I will get some things sent over for Torren. He'll need a bedroom setting for his room, with a bed and some small chairs and a table. We should arrange for some clothes and disposable diapers, before you leave earth as well. You'll need a kitchen table with some chairs and I think you'll need some cups, plates and cooking utensils for the kitchen as well. Maybe we can all go shopping together when John is out of the infirmary." Dave offered.

"Dave you do not have too."

"I want to Teyla, You're family and I want to do this for you."

"Thank you, Dave."

"Why don't you go and see Woolsey now?" Dave suggested. "I can take Torren to the mess hall for dinner and you can meat us there."

Teyla tapped her radio. "Richard this is Teyla, are you free, there is something I would like to discuss with you."

"_Yes Teyla, I'm in my office, can you come meet me there now, as there is something that I need to discuss with you."_

"I'm on my way; I'll see you in five minutes, Teyla out."

Teyla and Dave had one last look around before they left the apartment, with Torren on Dave's shoulders again. When they exited the transporter, Dave headed off to the mess hall with Torren and Teyla headed for Woolsey's office. She wondered what he wanted to talk to her about. The tone in his voice was not a happy one, so she was sure that it was bad news.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_The ancients had the ability to grow bone; that had to be one of their better discoveries, as it actually helped people._

_Looking at Radek with excitement in his eyes, he tapped his radio._

_McKay to Beckett, I've found the answer, I know how to fix John's knees and I'm positive he will be able to walk again._

Beckett and Jennifer were in their medical lab when Rodney's call came in. McKnight had headed to the mess hall for something to eat.

"I hope you have, some good news, because if you are not 100% sure I don't want to know about it." Beckett barked at him.

"_What is that supposed to mean?" Rodney shot back._

"Never mind can you send the data to my lab and meet Jennifer and me here?"

"_I'm on my way, Rodney out." _

Jennifer was reworking the retrovirus that would eliminate the Wraith's need to feed on humans. She'd hypothesised that if they added the same compound that helped humans wounds heal faster, the Wraith would keep their own unique healing abilities. She was close to a break through when Rodney rushed into the lab.

"I've found it, I've found the solution." Rodney chanted.

"Sit and calm down before ya hyperventilate." Carson instructed him and led him to a seat.

Once Carson was sure that Rodney's breathing had settled down, he spoke to him in a gentle voice. "What have you found Rodney?"

"Do you remember that healing device I found last week, which I thought could heal bone?" Rodney asked then he paused, waiting for an answer.

"Aye lad I do." Carson replied and Jennifer nodded.

"Well it turns out that it not only has to ability to heal broken bones, but grow bone as well." Rodney explained. "All it needs is a person's skin."

"Are you saying that we can just grow Colonel Sheppard some new Knee caps?" Jennifer asked, her face lighting up.

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

Jennifer and Carson looked at each other. "Do you think that this could be the miracle we need, so that Colonel Sheppard can come back to Pegasus with us?" Jennifer asked, her excitement growing.

"Whoa, wait a minute. What do you mean that Colonel Sheppard can go back to Pegasus with us? Why wouldn't he?" Rodney asked, beginning to panic.

Carson sighed and told him what Woolsey had told him. "General O'Neill contacted Mr Woolsey and told him that Atlantis would be leaving for Pegasus in approximately four weeks. It was also decided that unless we could come up with a 100% guarantee that Colonel Sheppard could walk again, he would not be going with us."

Rodney glared at him in anger, before he spoke in an angry whisper. "They did what?"

"Rodney, don't get upset, none of us agree with their decision and we're bending over backward to help him." Jennifer soothed.

Rodney just ignored her and tapped his radio. Mr Woolsey I am coming to see you now with Drs' Keller and Beckett."

He tapped off his radio and headed out the door followed by Keller and Beckett.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Dave entered the mess hall with Torren still sitting on his shoulders. He set Torren on the floor and grabbed his hand as they headed over to the serving table.

"Looks like meatloaf and mashed Potatoes tonight T.J.." Dave told the boy.

"I Luh meat loaf." T.J. told him, a huge grin spreading across his face.

Once they had food on their plates they looked around to see where they could sit. Dave caught sight of Dr McKnight sitting on his own and headed over to talk to the man.

Dave sat down and asked. "Do you mind if we join you Dr McKnight?"

"By all means, please sit down? And please call me James?"

He pulled T.J. up into a high chair that someone had dragged across for him and put his plate of food on the tray.

"How are you enjoying Atlantis Mr Sheppard?" James asked.

"It's absolutely beautiful, more than I could have ever imagined. I can't believe that my brother has been living here for the last six years. How are you enjoying it James? And please call me Dave."

"I've known Carson for a lot of years and I can't believe that he's been here for the last six years either. Do you know that they've asked me to go with them when Atlantis goes back to Pegasus? They need a good Orthopaedic surgeon apparently."

"I didn't even know that they were thinking of heading back anytime soon. Do you think you'll go?" Dave asked him, with interest.

"I think I might, my children are all grown up and live their own lives and my wife died a few years ago, so I have nothing left for me on Earth."

Changing the subject he asked. "Is this Colonel Sheppard's son?"

Dave looked down at the boy and smiled, before answering. "Yeah this is T.J."

"He's gorgeous. It would be a shame if the Colonel had to stay on Earth without his family."

Dave looked at him as if he'd grown two head's. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"I'm sorry I thought you knew." James told him, with sympathy.

Dave was looking around frantically for someone to hand Torren off to, he had to get to Woolsey's office and ask him what the hell was going on. He spied Ronan and Amelia coming into the room and ignoring Dr McKnight rushed over to see them.

"Amelia I need you to look after T.J. for a while. I have to go and see Mr Woolsey. Are you available?" Dave asked her, the panic rising in his voice.

"No problems," she said, grabbing hold of Torren.

"T.J. I have to go and meet up with you Momma; can you stay with Auntie Amelia for a while?" Dave asked him.

Torren nodded and Dave left the room followed closely by Ronan. Ronan didn't know what was going on, but by the look on Dave's face he knew that it wasn't good.

Dave realising that someone was following him, turned around to see Ronan.

"Why are you following me?"

"Something's up and I want to know what it is." Ronan mumbled.

Dave took a breath and told him. "Atlantis is going back to Pegasus and because John can't walk he may not be going with you."

"I have to see Woolsey." Ronan growled and took off towards Woolsey's office.

Dave followed him doing his best to keep up.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla entered Woolsey's office and started to tell him about the apartment that she had discovered.

"Richard I have found the perfect apartment for John and myself. I would like permission to move our belongings in straight away. I want it to be a surprise for when John comes out of the infirmary."

Woolsey sighed. "Teyla, Atlantis is going back to Pegasus in four weeks and Colonel Sheppard may not be going with us."

Teyla looked at him with tears welling up in her eyes and forced out a single word. "Why?"

"The IOA feel that unless he is 100% healthy that he would be a liability to the expedition."

"You mean if he cannot walk?" Teyla questioned, through her tears.

"I'm afraid so."

"What happens if he is my husband and Torren's father, will we be able to stay on Earth with him?"

"I do not know?" Woolsey told her, his heart breaking at the situation that this family might find themselves in, through no fault of their own.

Just as Teyla got up to rush out of the office, Rodney came charging in with Drs' Beckett and Keller close behind him.

"What the _hell_ is going on?" What do you mean Sheppard can't come back to Pegasus with us?" Rodney squeaked out, working himself into one of his famous rants.

Before Wooley had time to answer, Ronan charged into the office at top speed followed by a very breathless David Sheppard.

"Tell me what's going on _now_?" Ronan thundered, looking as if he was going to hit someone.

Woolsey looked at the faces of the people in his office. These people were John's friends, his family and they deserved an explanation.

"Everyone sit down and I'll explain." Woolsey ordered.

Once they had all found somewhere to sit Woolsey gave them and explanation.

"The IOA and Stargate Command have given us the go ahead to return to the Pegasus Galaxy, however they feel that unless the Colonel can be restored to 100% health and fitness, they no longer want him in command."

"He saved their collective asses a couple of weeks ago and this is how they repay him?" Rodney ranted.

"I know Rodney, but that is how it is?" Woolsey told him and continued on. "If we can come up with a way to guarantee he will walk again, he will be able to come with us. Have we had any luck Doctors?"

It was Rodney who delivered the good news. "Actually we have, we can grow him a new set of knee caps, using skin from any part of his body. According to the ancient data base every time they used this technique it was 100% successful."

"Are you saying that the ancients had the ability to grow bone?" Dave asked.

"Yes using a person's skin they were able to harden it into bone. I don't know all the details yet, but I know that it will work." Rodney told them pleadingly.

"Has anyone told John yet?" Dave asked, with concern.

"Speaking of Sheppard, who is with him, if we're all up here?" Rodney asked panicking.

"Dr Cole is on duty in the infirmary and Major Lorne is sitting with him at the moment." Keller told him, patting his arm.

Dave looked at the others and repeated his question. "Has anyone told John any of this?"

"Rodney has only just told us about the information he found in the ancient data base and I don't believe that anyone has told him about Atlantis returning to Pegasus without him." Beckett told them all.

"I think we should tell him about what Rodney found in the ancient data base, but I don't think he needs to know that Atlantis may be going back to Pegasus without him." Keller told them, her concern for her patient evident.

Woolsey looked at them and sighed with relief. The last few days had been trying to say the least, but now there seemed to be hope.

"I will contact General O'Neill and tell him the good news." Woolsey suggested.

"I would like to be then when John is told the good news." Teyla told them.

"Aye that is a good idea and Dave you along with Ronan should be there as well. Rodney would you like to give him the good news of should I?" Carson asked.

"I need to get back to my lab and continue to research the procedure. Could you send that orthopaedic surgeon to my lab? I can't remember his name."

"It's James McKnight and yes I will send him to your lab." Carson told him.

"Okay if everyone knows what to do, you're all dismissed and I'll contact Stargate Command. Woolsey told them.

They all got up and left Woolsey's office. They were all feeling a sense of hope for the first time in days. It was the first time that they felt the slightest hope that John would walk again and that things would soon get back to normal.

Woolsey looked at the group leaving his office, and thought. I hope that this isn't false hope.

Woolsey tapped his radio. "Chuck can you please contact General O'Neill for me? I need to speak to him immediately"

_I'm doing it now Mr Woolsey, chuck out."_

A few minutes later General O'Neill's face appeared on screen.

"_What can I do for you Richard?"_

"We have a solution to Colonel Sheppard's problem. We believe that we can grow him a new set of Knee caps. The ancients had a 100% success rate when using a procedure, where they grew bone from a person's skin."

"_Have Dr McKay, send over the data for the IOA to look at. I really hope this is the solution for John and Teyla's sake."_

"Why do you say that?"

"_Because the IOA won't allow Teyla and Torren to stay on Earth. They feel that they belong in the Pegasus Galaxy. Their exact words were. 'We do not want aliens on Earth at this time, because if people ever found out there would be all out panic.' The President is reluctant to disagree with them at this stage."_

"You do know that their as human as you or I, don't you Jack?"

"_Yes I know that, but there are some members of the IOA that are not as open minded as you or I are."_

"What about Teal'c and Vala they're not from earth."

"_Well for some reason the IOA see them as beneficial to the Stargate program, apparently Teyla is not and Torren is just a kid. I tried to argue that Teyla would be beneficial to the program on Earth, but she has a child, so I don't think they see it that way.'_

Richard sighed, even in this day and age people were judgmental against others and it seemed that someone in the IOA clearly had a thing against working mothers.

"Drs' McKay and McKnight are looking over the data again now. I will let you know what they find. Are you still coming to Atlantis General?"

"_Yes I'll be there tomorrow afternoon. I'll see you then Richard."_

"I'll see you then General."

The transmission cut off and Woolsey sat there stunned at what he had just heard, he wondered how people could be so narrow minded.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John was dosing when the rather large group entered the infirmary. It had been a long day. His legs were no longer in traction and the nurses had been trying to get him up that afternoon. He was told that he needed to be able to stand to get in and out of a wheelchair. He still held out hope that there would be a miracle solution and that he would be able to walk again, but for now he'd gladly use a wheelchair to get out of the infirmary and be able to get married.

He opened his eyes when he heard the group enter. "Why wasn't I told about this party?" He asked, smirking.

Teyla went over and took his hand, before kissing him on the cheek.

"Well in wouldn't be a surprise if we told you little brother, would it?" Dave's eyes sparkled at him.

"Why are you really here?" John asked, looking around at them all.

"We have some good news Laddie." Carson looked at him closely and continued. "Rodney has been researching the ancient data base since you returned and he has found a way to grow you some, kneecaps out of your skin. We don't know what the procedure will entail at this point, but the ancients used this procedure on numerous occasions and the success rate was 100%"

"Are you guaranteeing that I'll be able to walk again?" John asked them, with hope in his eyes.

"Aye we are." Becket replied, with a smile spreading across his face and his blue eyes twinkling.

"That's great Doc, but when can I get out of here, because I want to get married, while we're still on Earth.

**TBC…..**


	13. Chapter 13: Life goes on

**Chapter 13: Life goes on.**

"_Are you guaranteeing that I'll be able to walk again?" John asked them, with hope in his eyes._

"_Aye we are." Becket replied, with a smile spreading across his face and his blue eyes twinkling._

"_That's great Doc, but when can I get out of here, because I want to get married, while we're still on Earth?"_

"We need to check on your arm tomorrow morning and I need to know that you can get in and out of a wheelchair if you need too, but if all is well I will be able to discharge you tomorrow afternoon."

"Great can we go shopping in San Francisco the day after that then? Carson you should come too, as you'll need to get a suit for our wedding."

"Colonel Sheppard you do realise that at some point you'll need to come back here for surgery on your Knee's don't you?"

"I know Doc, but right now I want to get married to Teyla." John said, looking into her eyes.

"We'll see how you're feeling Colonel and if you feel okay I'll let you shopping the day after tomorrow and I'll even come with you." Carson suggested.

"Thanks Doc."

The others were just about to leave, wanting to give Teyla and John some privacy, when Rodney came rushing in, with Dr McKnight following behind.

"The IOA want an example of how our healing device works before they'll allow Sheppard to come back to Pegasus with us." Rodney spoke, in a high pitched voice, bordering on a panicked tone.

"McKay, what do you mean, about me being allowed to come back to Pegasus with you?" John spoke in a cold emotionless voice and if looks could kill Rodney would be dead by now. Rodney had seen that look once or twice before and it was usually before someone got hurt or worse.

"Ummm…." Rodney stuttered.

"Dr Beckett, do you know what he's talking about?" John asked, with controlled anger.

Carson knew he was in trouble, because anytime John called him Dr Beckett, John was not happy.

"Ya had to go and put your foot in your mouth didn't ya?" Carson scolded, looking at Rodney.

"Can anyone tell me what the _hell_ is going on?" John growled, his anger rising.

It was Teyla who told him. "John, look at me?" He turned his head towards her, still not looking very happy. "The IOA has given permission for Atlantis to return to Pegasus in four weeks. They feel that if you are not 100% healthy that you should not return with us. They feel that you would be a liability to the expedition if you cannot walk."

"How long have you guy's known?" John asked them, calming down a little.

"We only found out about half an hour ago John." Teyla told him, gently.

"I think Woolsey has known a bit longer." Rodney told him.

John nodded at them. "I'm sorry guys; it's just a shock that I may be stuck on Earth even if Atlantis heads back to Pegasus."

"Colonel I promise you that will never happen. We will not give up on you walking again and we will do whatever we can to help make that happen." Jennifer told him, while patting him on the shoulder.

"Thanks Doc." He said, patting her hand.

John looked at Rodney and asked. "What do you have in mind McKay."

"Well I thought that maybe we could try and heal his arm." Rodney looked at the Doctors with hope in his eyes.

"Aye I think we can manage that, but how about you let my patient have something to eat and then we'll see how he feels. If he's too tired tonight, we can try in the morning." Beckett told him.

"He's right here you know and can make his own decisions." John told them, his anger rising again.

"We will see how you feel Colonel." Carson stated, firmly.

John just glared at him. "Fine" he said before turning his head away from everyone except Teyla.

"Okay everyone out except Teyla, I need to get my patient some dinner." Carson ordered.

"I'll bring the device down in and hour then?" Rodney suggested.

"I will contact you if it is okay." Carson told him, forcefully.

Once everyone had left Carson looked at John and asked him what he'd like for dinner.

"I don't care as long as it's not the usual slop you've been feeding me. I've had better food when I've been tortured." John growled.

Carson just looked at him and said "No need to bite my head off."

John looked at him and sighed. "Sorry Doc."

Carson left the two of them alone and went to organise some dinner for them both.

Teyla sat on the side of John's bed and run her hand down his cheek.

"I'm sorry, Teyla. I know none of this has been easy on you." John told her, gently.

She bent down to softly kiss his lips, before speaking. "Why are you apologising John none of this is your fault and whatever happens to you we will face it together, because I love you."

"I love you to sweetie." He told her, before kissing her more passionately.

They heard someone behind them and look around to see Carson clearing his throat.

"I can't wait to get out of her and have some privacy." John grumbled.

"I have your dinner here and I brought some for Teyla as well." Carson told them.

"Great what is it?" John asked.

"It's Meatloaf and mashed potatoes, with chocolate pudding for dessert."

"Great I'm starving." John told him his eyes lighting up.

He set the tray on the rolling table and gave Teyla hers. "I'll come and see how you're doing in an hour okay?"

John just nodded at him already stuffing his face full of meatloaf and mash potatoes.

Teyla and John sat there talking long after they had finished eating. Other than his knees and broken arm, John was feeling himself again and he couldn't wait to be with Teyla forever. He really hoped that the IOA wouldn't relieve him of his command and force him to stay on Earth. He didn't know what he would do without Teyla and Torren. They were so much a part of him, that if they were suddenly taken away, he didn't know if he could survive.

He was interrupted from his thoughts when Beckett came back into his room.

"Okay laddie, how are ya feeling? Rodney is really eager to try his device and send his findings to the IOA."

"I'm feeling better than I have for the last few days, so shall we get this over with?"

"Okay then Colonel, I'm going to take that cast of your arms and take some scans with the portable scanner, before Rodney gets here."

"Sure Doc."

Carson went looking for and instrument tray and found the cast spreaders and the cast saw.

"Be careful with that saw Doc. I don't want to lose my arm." John quipped.

Carson just glared at him. "Cheeky bugger."

Carson cut through the cast in an expert manner before waving the scanner over his arm.

"I'll leave the Rod and screws in, but as you can see there are some smaller cracks and fractures that need to be healed. Let's see what Rodney's device can do, shall we?"

"Did I hear my name?" Rodney asked, walking into the room with a strange looking device.

"Yes, Rodney, are you ready with your device?" Carson asked him, impatiently.

"Sure am." Rodney told him walking up to John and waving it over his arm.

A soft blue light started to emanate from the device and they heard a soft hum.

"Why do ancient devices always cast a soft blue light and hum? That usually ends up meaning trouble for me." John commented, looking worried.

Before he had a chance to comment further the device stopped it's humming. Beckett ran his scanner across John's arm again and was amazed by what he saw.

"The cracks and fractures I was talking about are 100% healed and the bone around the rod and screws seem to have fused to the rod. It seems that the device works as advertised. How does your arm feel son?" Carson asked John.

"Other than feeling a little bit stiff it feels great."

"Try putting some pressure on it and see how it feels?" Beckett suggested.

He pushed his hand down as hard as he could on the try table. "It feels great Doc no pain at all."

Carson grabbed his hand and moved it in all different directions and John felt no pain at all.

"This is looking good, I'll just put and ace bandage on it for now, but I don't see any problems in declaring that your arm is healed."

The relief in the room was evident. This was the first step in John's journey back to health; they really hoped that it would be enough to convince the IOA not to leave John behind.

"Now that we know the device can heal a bone, let's hope that it will be enough to convince the IOA." Carson said, as a grin crossed his face.

"Yes well, I need to get back to my lab, I'll see you tomorrow Sheppard." Rodney said, as he was leaving the room.

"I'll just put this bandage on as a precaution, but everything looks okay, that arm will be as right as rain in day or two."

"Thanks Doc." John said, beginning to feel tired.

Once Carson had left Teyla kissed John on the cheek. "I must go now as well, I have a lot to do tomorrow and hopefully, you'll be able to leave this place tomorrow."

"Night Teyla." John muttered, as his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Rodney headed straight back to his lab, after he left the infirmary. He really needed to get the data to the IOA from the test; they had just performed on Sheppard's arm. He entered the lab to find Radek sitting there with James McKnight. He had to look twice, because he thought he was seeing double. If Rodney didn't know differently he would have sworn that they were identical twins. McKnight was only a cm or two taller, they had the same unruly dark hair; with a tinge of grey and their glasses were perched on their noses in the exact same way. The only difference was their accent. Rodney had to supress a laugh before he spoke.

"Radek, what are you doing here?"

"I work here Rodney and James was showing me some of the data you've discovered on the bone healing device."

"Really, I didn't think that type of thing would interest you." Rodney replied, with a quizzical look in his face.

"Yes Rodney I'm interested in anything that can help this expedition." Radek said, glaring at him. "And besides you wanted me to let you know when Atlantis was ready to fly again."

"Oh, are we ready then?"

"Yes as soon and we're given the go ahead we're ready to go Rodney."

"Thank you Radek, for all your hard work. It's given me a chance to focus on other things." Rodney praised the man, in an uncharacteristic display of kindness.

"You're welcome Rodney, We're all worried about Colonel Sheppard and if anyone can figure out a solution to his problem, you can."

"Thankyou Radek and we have discovered a solution. Has James, showed you the data on growing bone from a person's skin."

"Yes, yes, he has." Radek replied.

"Dr McKay, how did your test go?" James asked

"Both bones in Sheppard's forearm were 100% healed." Rodney told them, glowing with pride.

"That's fantastic!" James exclaimed. "Does that mean he'll be coming back to Pegasus with us?"

"We don't know, but I'm about to send my data through to the IOA. We need to start working on a plan of attack for making his new knee caps as soon as possible though." Rodney told them, talking at top speed.

"Are we going back to Pegasus then?" Radek asked, looking confused.

"Yes we are in about four weeks. I really should get Woolsey to make a general announcement." Rodney stated, becoming frustrated.

"Well it's time I went to bed; it looks like we have a long day tomorrow." James told them, before getting up and heading out of the room.

Radek and Rodney looked at him strangely; they very rarely went to bed when they were working on something important. They shrugged and both sat down ready to get back to work.

"I'm going to start on sending the data through to the SGC and IOA. What are you going to do, Radek?"

"I think I'll put the coffee on, as I think it's going to be a long night."

Rodney looked up from his computer and smiled at the man, before putting his head down and beginning his work.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla was up at 6:00 the next morning; she had a lot to do if John was coming home after lunch. She woke Torren up and headed for the mess hall for breakfast.

When they got there she piled their plates up with pancakes and maple syrup. Teyla poured herself a cup of tea and put some orange juice in Torrens' Sippy cup. She looked around for someone to share breakfast with and noticed that Ronan and Amelia were sitting by the window overlooking the ocean.

"Good morning, Ronan and Amelia. How are you this morning?" She asked them.

"Fine." Ronan mumbled.

I'm well thank you Teyla." Amelia told her.

"I can't wait for John to come home to our new apartment. I know that he'll have to go back in for surgery at some point, but it will be nice to have him home again."

"Yeah well when we've finished eating, I'll start helping you move your things." Ronan told her, smiling.

"I'll take Torren this morning, so you can direct the move." Amelia suggested.

"I'm going to bed; I've been up all night working on a plan of attack to fix Sheppard." Rodney announced, sitting at the table.

"I'm due in the infirmary in an hour, but Carson has promised to come and help." Jennifer told her smiling, as she sat down next to Rodney.

"I'm available to help after I have made a call to the office. I need to make sure that they know what to do without me, for a few more days." Dave told them, sitting down next to Teyla.

"Unca Dabe." Torren said, putting his arms up, wanting to be picked up.

"Hey, how are you going T.J. I'll pick you up when I've had my breakfast okay."

Torren just nodded and started playing with the maple syrup on his plate.

"Looks like you're going to need to wash your hands well Torren." Teyla told him, cringing at the mess he was making.

After an hour of talking and eating they decided it was time to get up and start the day. Rodney headed to his bed, Jennifer headed to the infirmary, Amelia took Torren for the morning and Teyla and Ronan headed to her room to meet, Lorne and a team of Marines. They had a few short hours to move all of her belongings, as well as John's. What was amazing was the Woolsey had even offered to help.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John was sitting alone in the infirmary. Teyla and his friends had visited him throughout the day, but it seemed as if they were very busy today and didn't have much time for him. He wondered why they were so busy all of a sudden. They hadn't been that busy for the last week, so why were they so busy now?

He'd spent the morning, practising standing and getting in to a wheelchair. He managed to shuffle short distances, so now he could go to the bathroom on his own. He could even have a shower if he sat on a shower seat.

There was nothing more they could do for him at this stage. They were waiting on Drs' McKay and McKnight's research before they could formulate any more treatment.

Drs' Beckett and Keller had declared him fit enough to be released this afternoon, so here he was sitting alone waiting for his lunch to be delivered, before Teyla came and picked him up to take him home. He assumed that they would go to her quarters, because it was larger and he wasn't allowed to be left alone at this stage.

His thoughts were interrupted by General O'Neill. "How are you Colonel?"

"Much better thanks General."

"I have someone here who wants to see you, but you don't have to see her if you don't want to."

John sighed, he had a hunch who it might be, but he wasn't sure. "Who is it?"

"It's Doctor Judy Everett."

The name sent a chill down John's spine when he remembered what she had done to him, so why would he want to see her now. But maybe he had to see her to move forward and put this whole mess behind him.

"Send her in." John told him, with no emotion in his voice.

When she walked in the room John couldn't help but shudder and it wasn't because there was a cold draft in the infirmary.

"Colonel Sheppard, I just want to say how sorry I am for what I did to you. It was wrong. I understand now that my father's death wasn't your fault, it was the wraiths. I'm not asking for or expecting your forgiveness, but I just felt that I needed to apologise."

John just sat there stunned. "I accept your apology and I am glad that you have seen the error in your ways, but there is no way I can forgive you at this time, maybe at some point in the future I may be able to, but right now I don't even want to be in the same room as you."

"I understand Colonel Sheppard and I wish you ever success in the future." She smiled at him, as she left the room.

After she had left the room he sat there stunned. He had no idea what to think at that moment. That was out of the blue, something he'd never have expected in a million years.

General O'Neill came back in and sat by his bedside. "That was weird." He said.

John looked at him with a smirk on his face. "You're telling me."

"She's actually been very helpful down at area 51. With a little bit of coaxing she's started to give us names of people in the trust. We have offered her protection and a safe place to stay."

"That's good, I'm glad that she's being helpful. What do you intend to do with her long term?" John asked.

"We have no idea; I suppose we'll work that out as we go."

"I think everyone deserves a second chance, especially when they show remorse for their actions. I hope that she'll get hers."

"I'll try and make it happen, Colonel." O'Neill told him.

"I hear Atlantis is going back to Pegasus General?"

"Yes it is. We said four weeks, but Rodney tells us that we're ready to go now, so it may be before then."

"Will I be going, or will I be stuck on Earth and relieved of my command?" John asked him, with a serious look in his eyes.

"The IOA contacted me before I came here and gave me good news. They feel that in light of Rodney's new research, the probability of you walking again is high. So they have decided that you will remain in command at this time and that you will be returning to Pegasus along with Atlantis."

John looked at him with a sense of gratefulness and relief. He was getting out of the infirmary this afternoon; he would marry the love of his life in the next week or so and in a couple of weeks he would be heading back to Pegasus, where he belonged.

"Thank you sir."

"You and I both know that you're the only person who can run the military contingent on Atlantis. The IOA just needed to be reminded of that."

John just smiled.

**TBC…**

**Things are looking up for John, now that he's going back to Pegasus.**


	14. Chapter 14: A surprise for John

**Chapter 14: A Surprise for John.**

Teyla headed down the passageway towards the infirmary. It had been a long hard morning, but they had managed to move all of her things as well as Johns into their new apartment. She had just left the mess hall after a nice relaxing lunch with Dave. After lunch Dave had headed back to the new apartment to finish tidying a few things up. Torren was still with Amelia, so it gave her the space to pick John up and get him settled into their new apartment.

She arrived in the infirmary to find John sitting up in his bed. She handed the sweat pants and t-shirt that she had brought for him.

"Do you need any help getting dressed?" She asked, with a twinkle in her eye.

"I'll have no problem with the top, but getting these useless legs in my pants is going to be an issue."

He only had a gown on so that was easy enough to get that off and he managed to get his t-shirt on without any trouble. With Teyla's help he managed to put on the clean boxers she'd brought form him.

"Let me have one last look at ya knees son?" Carson said, coming into the room.

He took of the light bandages covering them and checked over the still healing wounds. "The stitches will need to come out in a week or so, but other than that they look to be healing nicely." He wrapped them again with light bandages and instructed him not to get them wet.

"Thanks Doc. Now can I get some pants on? There's a draft in here." John quipped.

"Do you want some help?" Carson asked him.

"No thanks, I think between Teyla and I we've got it covered."

"Okay let me know when you're ready to go then Colonel."

"Sure Doc."

Once Carson had left the room, John dangled his legs over the edge of the bed. He had some movement in his legs, because the Docs' had replaced his knee caps with two steel rods joined in the middle by a hinge allowing him to bend at the knees. This was a temporary measure until a long term solution could be found.

He managed to get his feet into the legs of the pants and then he managed to stand up supported by Teyla and pull the pants up. They had an elastic waist, so he didn't have to bother with a zip and button.

Once his pants were on Teyla helped him into a wheelchair. For the moment that was the only way he could get around, but thanks to the ancients and their technological and medical advances it was only temporary.

They left the room that he had been staying in for almost a week now; John knew that he would be back there soon enough. He knew that there would be more surgery in his near future, but for now he was just glad to get away from the place.

They passed Carson on the way out and John knew that he had to thank him for saving his life yet again. "Thanks for taking such good care of me Doc and for saving my life."

"You're welcome son and it was my pleasure. I only wish that I didn't have to save it as often as I do."

"Sorry Doc." John whispered.

Teyla added her thanks. "Thank you for taking such good care of him. Dr Beckett."

"You're Welcome Teyla. Make sure you keep an eye on him and that he follows my instructions lassie."

"He is right here and quite capable of following your instructions all by himself." John grumbled.

"Yes of course you are, but you do have a history of not following my instructions." Carson told him and rolled his eyes.

"I will look after him." Teyla quickly told the doctor, before and argument could begin.

Teyla wheeled John out of the infirmary and started heading down the corridor.

John was confused as they were heading the wrong way. "Umm… sweetie, this is the wrong way to either of our quarters."

"I know honey, but just bear with me; you will see where we are going soon."

They entered a transporter and Teyla touched the area on the map for the South pier. They exited the corridor and walked a small distance along another corridor. John guessed that they must have been thirty levels up and the South Pier was somewhere to their left.

They came to a door and Teyla waved her hand over the door panel and pushed him into the room.

"Welcome home honey."

He sat there and looked around the room astounded by what he saw. He was in a large living area and all that was in it at the moment was a small couch that belonged to Teyla a Big screen TV and a lazy boy recliner chair.

Dave came out of a room on the left side of the living area and yelled "Surprise!"

John was speechless this was an incredible apartment and it was his and Teyla's.

"Do you not like it?" Teyla asked, as she saw tears welling up in his eyes.

"No I love it; I'm just totally overwhelmed by it all." John told her.

"I had the lazy boy and TV sent over this morning. I thought you might like somewhere to relax for a few days." Dave told him.

"I don't know what to say except thank you Dave. How did you get everything moved in so quickly?" John asked them.

"Major Lorne, Ronan, Carson and some of the marines helped us and even Woolsey came by for a while. That is where we have been all morning."

Torren came running out of the passageway on the left and jumped into John's lap. "Daddy home."

John threw his arms around the little boy and hugged him tight. "Yes I'm home. What do you think of our new home pal?"

"I luh it. See my room?" Torren asked, pointing down the passageway that he'd just come out of."

"Sure pal lead the way." John suggested.

Torren hopped down and John wheeled himself down the passage way to see Torren's room. It was pretty much empty except for his small cot.

"We can buy him a bedroom setting when we're in San Francisco next." Dave suggested.

"Sure." John replied.

"Come and see our room next?" Teyla asked him and pushed him to the next room.

He headed straight for the balcony and rolled himself out there. He managed to stand and hold onto the railing breathing in the fresh sea air.

Torren came up next to him and grabbed his arm. "What wrong Daddy, you sad?"

He looked at his son smiling before answering "This is perfect. I've been cooped up in the infirmary for what seems like forever, so this is just what I need. I've got this lovely new apartment to live in, I have the best family in two galaxies and very soon I'll be going back to my home."

"Your home?" Dave questioned him, looking slightly confused.

"The Pegasus Galaxy."

"John you know that you have a home and family on Earth too." Dave told him, with sadness in his voice.

"I know Dave and that family I was talking about includes you."

Dave came up to stand on the other side of John and told him. "I love you too little brother."

"You know what guys thanks for everything, but I think I'll need a sleep." John told them shuffling towards his bed.

"John shouldn't you be using the wheelchair?" Teyla asked him, with a worried look on her face.

"It's not very far Teyla and Carson said that I should try and walk short distances to keep my muscles active." He told her lying on the bed.

Torren hopped up on the bed next to John and asked. "I Seep ere?"

"Sure Pal." He said closing his eyes.

Within two minutes both were asleep. Teyla looked down at Torren snuggled up to John and sighed with contentment.

"I'll leave you too it." Dave told her heading for the front door.

"I'll see you at dinner Dave and thank you for all of your help today."

"You're Welcome."

She watched Dave leave and settled down in the lazy boy chair. It had been a long morning and she felt tired all of a sudden, before she knew it her eyes closed and she fell asleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Richard Woolsey had just sat down in his office to eat his lunch when General O'Neill entered.

"What can I do for you Jack?" Woolsey asked looking up from his lunch.

"Can you be ready to go back to Pegasus in two weeks, Richard?"

"Certainly we're ready now. Why the sudden change in time table?"

"Some of the countries aware of the stargate program are afraid that the United States would use Atlantis against them, so they're eager for it to return to Pegasus." Jack told him, rolling his eyes.

"Yes well, the sooner we're back in Pegasus the better Jack. I hate to think what is happening to the people back there."

"Stargate command agrees with you that is why we were pushing that Colonel Sheppard be allowed to return with you. Finally they agreed. I think we have Dr McKay's research to thank for that."

"I'm glad to hear that. I really couldn't run this place without him or Teyla."

"Anyway it's time I got back to stargate command. We're lucky that between Drs' Jackson and McKay they've found a way to use both earth gates at the one time. Otherwise this could be a very long trip" Jack told him smiling.

Just as the General was about to leave, his com activated.

"_General O'Neill it's Teyla here, can you come to our apartment, as there is something John and I would like to ask you?" _

"I'm on my way Teyla; I'll be there in a few minutes, O'Neill out."

"_We will be waiting, Teyla out."_

"Umm… Richard can you direct me to their apartment."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla was sitting in the Lazy boy chair having just woken up from her nap when the door chime activated.

She managed to get herself out of the chair and went across to the door to open it.

"General O'Neil it is good to see you again."

"Hello Teyla, where's John."

"He should be out in a moment. I can hear him moving about."

"Hello General, It's nice to see you, so soon after your last visit." John quipped, as he shuffled into the room and sat down in the lazy boy, and put the leg rest up, to give his legs a break.

"Should you be walking around, Colonel?" Jack asked him with concern.

"Carson said it's fine to shuffle around the apartment as long as I'm not on my feet for long."

"Is Torren still asleep?" Teyla asked, before the conversation went any further.

"He's still out like a log."

"Would you like a drink of water General? I'm sorry, but that's all we have for now."

"No thankyou Teyla, I'm fine for now."

"General would you like to sit down?" John asked him.

"Thanks John and please call me Jack when we're not on duty. You're a senior officer now and Teyla you can call me Jack all the time, as you're not in the air force."

"Okay Jack we have a favour we'd like to ask." John sucked in a breath before continuing. "We would be honoured if you could officiate at our wedding?"

"Yes, I would be honoured to officiate at Earths first interplanetary wedding."

"I hadn't really thought of it that way. I mean Teyla's human, I don't stop to think that I'm marrying a person from a different planet." John commented, thoughtfully.

"Well Sam and I are happy for you both. I assume I get to invite a plus one?"

"Yes you can bring your wife Jack."

"How did you know Teyla? We're actually trying to keep it a secret."

"I've seen the way you look at each other." Teyla told him.

"I never realised." John said, to him.

"Well that's because you're not very observant John." Teyla told him, rolling her eyes.

He just glared at her before talking to General O'Neill. "We want to get married before Atlantis returns to Pegasus, so we're thinking this time next week at about 1500 Hours, with a reception in the mess to follow."

"We'll be there." Jack told them. "Anyway I have to get back to stargate command now. I'll see you next week."

Teyla saw him to the door and then headed to the Lazy boy chair to snuggle up with John. Torren was still asleep and they were all alone in their apartment. John leant in to kiss Teyla just as the door chime activated.

"I'll just ignore that." He told her, kissing her more passionately, letting his tongue come out to play with hers. His hands were beginning to roam up her long silky legs, when the door chime activated again. "How long do you think it will be before they go away?" He asked, still nibbling on her bottom lip.

"Soon I hope." Teyla told him, as her hands started wandering under his t-shirt.

The door chimed again and Teyla sighed. "I guess we'd better answer that?"

Teyla got up and smoothed out her hair and clothes, before heading to the door. She gave John a moment to settle down and compose himself before she answered.

As soon as she opened it Rodney came barging in the room. "Sheppard I have to talk to you _now!"_

"Can't it wait McKay I was right in the middle of something?"

"Really, what could you possibly be doing, you only just got out of the Infirmary?"

John sighed. "What do you want McKay."

Rodney's eyes widened as he realised, just exactly what he interrupted. "Were you two about to umm… you know?"

"McKay, tell me what you want or get out of here _now!" _ John was really getting annoyed by now.

"Sorry, but can I talk to you in private Sheppard?"

"I have to see Mr Woolsey for a while, so if you two can keep an ear out for Torren, I can do that now." Teyla suggested.

"Okay sweetie, I'll catch up with you later."

Once Teyla had left the apartment, John turned to Rodney and asked. "What is so important that you have to interrupt my time with my fiancée? This is my first day out of the infirmary and we finally had some time alone, so what is it that you want?"

"I want your advice."

John's almost choked on his reply. "On what."

"I want to ask Jen to marry me."

John was stunned for a moment and considered carefully before answering. "What would you like to know?"

"What should I do about a ring, should I give her the one that I had for Katie Brown?"

"No you defiantly shouldn't give her the one that you had for Katie Brown. Jeannie's coming to San Francisco for our wedding; maybe you should ask her to help you choose one."

"That's a great idea Sheppard, I can do that. Now I know what to do about the ring, how do I propose?"

"Just be yourself, for reasons unknown to me, Keller loves you for who you are."

"Shall I take her to dinner, or maybe I can cook a nice meal?" Rodney started to ramble.

"Do you normally cook for her?"

"Not really."

"Well then, while were still in San Francisco take her out for a nice meal and ask her."

"I think I can do that, but we only have two weeks left, before we go back to Pegasus and you're getting married and I have so much to do." Rodney was starting to ramble again.

"I'm sure you'll find time Rodney."

"Okay I will, I'll do it."

"Good man, now if you can kindly see yourself out, I need a nap and Torren will be waking up soon."

"Are you sure you're okay here on your own." Rodney asked, sounding like a mother hen.

"Yes Rodney, I'm a big boy and I can take care of myself. I'll see you later for dinner. Goodbye."

After Rodney had left the room John decided that he would settle down for his nap right where he was. Just as he closed his eyes Torren started calling out for him.

"Daddy you ere? Daddy."

John managed to get to his feet and shuffle down the passage way to his room. Torren was lying awake and staring at the doorway.

"I'm here buddy." He hopped in bed beside his son and cuddled him until they both fell asleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After John had slept for a couple of hours he grabbed Torren and wheeled them both down to the mess hall for their dinner. Torren got a real kick out of being wheeled through the corridors in his Daddy's lap.

They arrived at the mess hall about the same time as Teyla. Torren was extremely happy to see that meatloaf was on the menu again tonight. John didn't seem to mind either.

They found the rest of their team sitting at a table overlooking San Francisco bay. Dr Beckett and Dave had joined them as well.

"How are you doing this evening little brother?" Dave asked him with a smirk on his face.

"I feel tired which is weird, considering I slept most of the day."

"Your body is still recovering from a trauma; you'll be tired for a while." Beckett informed him.

"In two weeks' time I'm going to have to fly this city back to the Pegasus Galaxy, so I better not be tired them."

"Colonel I can fly the city. You will not need to do it." Beckett told him.

"We won't be using the wormhole drive this time Doctor, so we'll need two people taking six hour shifts, to get Atlantis back there." Rodney informed him.

"Surely there's someone else who can do it?" Beckett suggested.

"Nope, Woolsey wants John to do most of the flying and for you to relieve him when he needs a break." Rodney told him.

"Anyway I really need to go shopping in San Francisco tomorrow Doc." John told him changing the subject.

"We'll see how you are in the morning John."

"I should be fine after a good night's sleep Doc."

"I will give you a check-up in the morning and then I will decide John and that is my final word on the matter."

The table went silent for a while, before Torrens spoke up. "Momma more, pease?"

They all looked at the boy covered in meatloaf and mashed potatoes and laughed.

"I think you'll need a bath tonight pal." John told him.

Torren just looked at John and asked. "Daddy more, pease?"

The laughing and joking went on for another hour or so until Torren started to get tired.

"Well we must go and put Torren to bed." Teyla told them all.

Teyla put a sleepy Torren in John's lap and he wheeled him out of the mess hall.

"Teyla I have one more stop I need to make, before I come to bed, I'll see you shortly okay."

"Are you okay John?"

"Yes, I'm fine; I'll see you in about twenty minutes."

Teyla took Torren off John lap and headed to their apartment, John headed off in the opposite direction.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John arrived in the area with the holding cells, he looked at the guards and they saluted him. "At ease." He told them. He really didn't to enjoy his men saluting him.

He looked over at Todd and saw that he was sitting quietly in deep meditation or hibernation; he really wasn't sure which one. It was the person in the next cell that he was there to see.

Kanaan was in deep meditation when he sensed John's presence. He turned around to look at John and all that John saw in his eyes was a cold hatred.

"Ah, Colonel Sheppard, I see that you're feeling better."

"I just have on question for you. Why?"

"You stole Teyla and my son away from me?" Kanaan hissed at him.

"Let me get one thing straight Kanaan. I didn't steal anyone; they chose not to be with you. Teyla chose me over you." John told him with hatred in his voice.

"What are you going to do with me?"

"When we get back to the Pegasus Galaxy, you will be returned to your people and we'll let Halling deal with you."

"They'll probably banish me from New Athos you know, where would I go then?

"I don't really care and let me make one thing clear, you don't have a son. Torren is my Son and you will never see him again." John told him, totally disgusted by the man

John turned himself around and wheeled himself towards his apartment, as he was leaving the corridors, he heard Kanaan shouting. "This isn't over; I will still make you pay for this."

Eventually Kannan's shouting stopped and John hoped that it would be the last time he ever saw or heard the man.

**TBC…**

**Thank you to everyone who is still reading. I really appreciate your reviews and comments.**


	15. Chapter 15: A day in San Francisco

**Sorry for the delay in posting, but I've had an extremely busy weekend and I didn't have a chance to do any writing.**

**Chapter 15: A day in San Francisco.**

_John was walking down a dark, damp corridor, he had no idea where he was or where he was going, but he just kept walking. He walked a little farther and realised that he was getting cold, looking down he realised that he only had his boxer shorts on. Things were really beginning to freak him out, so he started running. Up ahead he saw a light, so he ran towards it, increasing his speed. As his sped up he became breathless. When he looked down again, he realised that a giant Iratus bug was attached to his chest. Still he kept running, the light seemed to get farther away and then he heard a scream. His heart almost burst out of his chest, he knew that was Teyla's scream. Eventually the light got closer and as he entered the light filled room, he was sickened by what he saw; Teyla was a dried up husk on the floor and Kanaan was standing over her, only Kanaan was a Wraith._

_Before he had a chance to blink Kannan had a screaming Torren in his arms. _

"_Help Daddy help?"_

_Kanaan ran past him with Torren and then John screamed._

John awoke with a start, sweat dripping down his face. He realised that he still heard Torren crying. He looked over and saw Torren was standing beside his bed rubbing his eyes and crying.

"Me seep ere Daddy?" Torren asked, putting his thumb in his mouth.

"Sure buddy, can you hop in."

Torren hopped in the bed next to John and buried his head in John's chest. He looked over and noticed that Teyla had done the same thing on his other side. He put his arms around them and lay there wide awake listening to their breathing, as they slept. He lay there for a long while not wanting to go back to sleep, but eventually he fell into a restless sleep.

Teyla awoke the next morning to find that Torren was in bed with them. She looked over at him and noticed that he was awake and had his thumb in his mouth.

"Hello Torren, why are you in our bed?" Teyla whispered, not wanting to wake John, who was still fast asleep.

"Daddy ad bad deam." Torren told her in a whisper.

John stirred at that moment and looked over at Torren. "Are you sure you didn't have a bad dream?"

"No, you did." Torren answered him.

Teyla looked at John, before speaking softly. "John, are you okay. Do you need to talk about it?"

"I'm fine and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell the Docs' about it, because I really want to go shopping for our apartment and our wedding today. If I keep having nightmares I promise I will talk to someone in a day or two."

Teyla looked at John and sighed. "Okay I promise, but I will ask you again in a day or two."

"Fair enough, now T.J. what do want for breakfast?" John asked him, as he slowly got out of bed and shuffled towards his draws to get some clean clothes out.

"Pantates."

"I should have known." John groaned.

"Come with me and get dressed Torren and Daddy can have a shower if he wants to."

"Don't you need to have a shower too?" John asked, with a twinkle in his eye.

"I had one last night, so I suggest that if you want to go shopping today that you hurry up and get ready." Teyla told him, turning her back and walking out of the bedroom.

"Yes ma'am." John told her and gave her a mock salute.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Carson was in the Infirmary early, he knew that Colonel Sheppard would want to go shopping today, but he'd told John the night before that he wouldn't be going shopping until he'd had a check-up.

John wheeled himself into the infirmary half an hour later.

"Good morning Doc, how are you feeling on this fine morning?" John asked, a smile spreading across his face.

"Why are ya so happy this morning Laddie?"

"The sun is shining and I'm of for a day in San Francisco, What's not to be happy about?"

"Well that would be up to me as you Doctor, wouldn't it?"

"Just check me over Carson, I had a fantastic night's sleep and I feel really refreshed this morning." John knew that was a lie, but he wasn't going to tell Carson that.

"Okay let's see then shall we? Hop up on the bed and take your pants of so I can look at your knees?" Carson asked him, seriously.

Carson helped John up on to the bed, after he had managed to get his pants off.

Carson checked out his knees again and took his blood pressure, pulse and heart rate. He then noticed some dark circles under John's eyes.

"Are you sure you didn't have any trouble sleeping or are you having any headaches Colonel?"

John sighed, he thought that he'd better be honest or the Doc would ground him and he'd find himself back in the infirmary under the good Doctor's supervision again.

"I had a nightmare last night and I have a slight headache."

"Colonel, I want you to tell me the truth, is the first nightmare you've had or have you had persistent nightmares?"

"I had one last night and one while I was in the infirmary. It's no big deal Doc I've had bad dreams before."

"Okay, I'll give you something for the headache and promise me you'll let me know if you have any more nightmares?"

"Sure Doc. So can I go shopping today?"

"Yes you can, but take it easy and if you feel yourself getting tired come back here for a rest." Carson instructed him. "I'm on duty this morning, but I will be able to meet you for lunch and then I'm happy to try on suits this afternoon."

"Thanks Carson." John smiled at the man, before putting his pants back on.

A few minutes later he was ready to go. He waved at Carson and headed towards Rodney's lab to see what he was up too.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rodney had spent a lot of time over the last two day coming up with a plan for how they were going to fix John's knees. A few hours ago he'd completed the plan and gone for two hours sleep. He was now back, in his lab looking through some more ancient devices that needed cataloguing. He was turning one over in his hands when Sheppard wheeled himself into the room.

"Hey Rodney, what are you doing?"

"Ah Sheppard, just the man I was looking for."

"Why do you need me McKay?"

"I want to test some of these ancient devices and I need your super gene."

"Not today, we're going shopping and I need you to come and try on a suit for my wedding."

"Really, today?"

"Yes and wasn't Jeannie coming in today as well?"

"What's the time?" Rodney asked, looking panicked.

"It's about 0900 hours and I was thinking of leaving in about an hour."

"I have to pick Jeannie up at 1100 hours, so how about Jeannie and I meet you for lunch and then I can try on a suit after lunch? I can stay here for a while longer and catch up on some work then."

"Okay, I'll meet you at the shoreline at 1300 hours so don't be late?"

"Sure Sheppard, I'll be there."

"You'd better be." John told him wheeling himself out of the lab.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

By the time they reached the boats it was only Dave, Teyla and Torren going along for the morning. They decided that they'd get some furniture shopping done in the morning and then some wedding preparation done after lunch.

They exited the boats on a warm sunny day the sky was blue and there was a glare coming off the bay, it was a beautiful sight as always.

Once they'd managed to get John off the boat and settled into his wheelchair; with Torren sitting on his lap, Dave pushed him towards the furniture store.

They made it to the furniture store in about ten minutes, once inside they immediately headed for the kids area. Torren had no trouble finding a bed that he liked.

"Look Daddy sacesip."

"Wow what a cool rocket ship." John told him, grinning.

"My bed, Daddy?"

"Sure you can have that one if you want." John told him, happy to see the joy in Torren's face.

"We need to get some sheets and a quilt to go with it Torren. Would you like to come and have a look with momma?" Teyla asked him.

The boy nodded, then headed off with his mother too look at sheets.

"What other furniture do you need John?" Dave asked him, looking around the store.

"We will need a table and chairs and probably another couch for the lounge area." John told him and started to wheel himself towards the area with the dining tables.

John immediately found one that he liked. It had a rectangular table with six chairs with dark brown padding on them and it was made of teak.

"I'll have this one." John announced.

He looked around a few minutes longer and found a couch and a coffee table to match.

"You sure you don't want to look around for a bit longer? They have lot of stuff here." Dave suggested.

"No Dave this is exactly what I want and it doesn't cost a fortune."

They were looking around for Teyla when an elderly gentleman approached them. "Can I help you sir?" He asked looking at John.

"Yes I would like to buy this Dining table and the matching chairs. Along with that couch and coffee table and the rocket ship single bed in the other room."

The elderly man looked down at him and noticed his dog tags. "What branch of the armed forces are you in?"

"Air force."

"What Rank?"

"Colonel"

"Full bird"

"Yep"

"Were you injured in the line of duty?" The elderly gentleman asked.

"Something, like that." John snorted.

"Well thank you for your service to our country son. I have a son in the Marines and I don't think that our military men and women ever get enough thanks. Your father must be very proud of you as well."

John snorted again and was about to reply when Dave interrupted. "Hello, I'm his brother and yes our father would have been very proud of John, but he passed away two years ago. I know that I'm very proud of him."

Teyla came in at that moment with Torren and an armful of sheets. He climbed on Johns lap and looked in his face

"Loot Daddy, I got seets."

"Wow, pal you've got rocket ship on your sheets as well."

"Would you like to purchase those, as well sir? "The elderly gentleman asked.

"Yes thanks. I'll pay for it now and have someone pick it up this afternoon." John told the man handing over a great wad of cash.

The elderly man processed the sale and handed over the receipt. "Good luck in the future young man."

John thanked him and left the store as quickly as he could. He hated accolades of any kind and he was sick of people thinking that he was injured in the line of duty.

"That was absolutely laughable. Injured in the line of duty what a joke, as usual I'm injured because some psychopath held a grudge against me, for doing something; I don't know what it was though." He fumed.

"John calm down. You have done many wonderful things as the military commander of Atlantis. You would give your life to protect all of us. Unfortunately people do not always understand that." Teyla soothed.

"You saved the entire planet a few weeks ago little brother and I'm guessing that is only one of the fantastic things you've done to protect all of us." Dave offered.

"Yet here I am sitting in a wheelchair and no-one really knows why."

"We know why John." Teyla told him, holding his hands and looking into his eyes.

"Thanks Teyla and thankyou Dave, perhaps you're the only one who truly knows what I went through."

"Yes and John if you ever need to talk about it, just realise that I'm here for you."

"Thanks Dave."

Teyla was looking around frantically at that moment. "Where is Torren?"

They all started to call for him frantically

The door to the furniture shop opened and the elderly man came out with him.

"Your son wondered back in a minute or so ago, Colonel." He told them, lifting Torren into John's lap.

Teyla sighed, before she spoke. "Thank you, for bringing him out to us."

"You're welcome. Have a lovely day." He turned his back and headed back into the shop.

John turned Torrens face to him and spoke to him in a firm voice. "What have we told you about running off T.J.?"

"Af too say close." Torren told his father, while putting his thumb in his mouth.

"You have to remember that, as Momma and I would be very sad if anything ever happened to you. That is why we want you to stay close. Do you understand?"

"Yes Daddy. Luh ya Daddy." He told John throwing his arms around his neck.

"Okay, let's go the clothing store and get you some clothes, shall we?"

Torren nodded, looking sleepy.

They spent about an hour and half in the clothing store; they picked out several outfits for Torren in different sizes and colours. John picked out some casual Jeans and shirts, a few woollen jumpers and a pair of dress pants. They also stocked up on diapers, as it would be a while, before they could get any from earth, once they returned to the Pegasus Galaxy. Teyla didn't buy anything for herself, because Jennifer had taken her shopping when they had first arrived in San Francisco.

Once they had paid for the clothes. They headed to a homewares store and bought some pots and pans, crockery and cutlery. They arranged for everything to be picked up this afternoon by some of the Marines.

After they had finished all of their shopping they still had a while to wait until lunch, so they headed over to a small park with a duck pond. Torren was fascinated with the ducks and asked John what they were.

"What those?"

"They're called ducks" Dave answered.

"Duck go quack, quack." Torren told Dave.

"That's right T.J." Dave told him.

"I touch?" Torren asked, looking at his mother.

"No you must not; you can sit on Daddy's lap and look." Teyla instructed the boy.

"Otay."

They sat looking at the ducks for a while, before Torren and John started to nod off.

"John looks exhausted." Dave commented.

"I do not believe that he slept well last night." Teyla told him.

"Nightmares?" Dave asked her.

"Yes I know that he had one last night, but I'm not sure how many other nights he's had them."

"I've been having nightmares on and off since we were rescued as well." Dave told her.

"Have you talked to anyone?" Teyla asked him with concern.

"Not really, I've mentioned it to John, but we haven't really talked about it."

"Maybe you two should talk about it." Teyla suggested.

"Talk about what?" John's deep voice, drawled.

"The fact that both of you have been having nightmares." Teyla told him, with a serious tone to her voice.

"Maybe, one day." John mumbled.

"Anyway it's time for lunch." Dave told them.

They headed down to the burger restaurant in silence. John was still feeling extremely tired and his butt was feeling sore from sitting in a wheelchair all day, so he wasn't really in the mood for conversation at this point.

When they arrived they looked around and realised that the others hadn't arrived yet. John decided that he needed to stand up, so he handed Torren off to Dave and pushed himself out of the wheelchair. He only just stood up when Carson arrived.

"Just what do ya think ya doing Laddie?"

"I'm giving my butt a break Doc."

"Hey should he be standing like that?" A panicked voice asked.

"Yes Rodney I can stand if I want too and before anyone says anything else I've only just stood up." John growled at them all.

"John it's great to see you again." Jeannie told him, walking up to him and kissing him on the cheek.

"It's lovely to see you as well. Are Maddie and Caleb with you?" John asked them, with a crooked grin on his face.

"No they're, coming in to San Francisco the day of the wedding. I need to buy Maddie's dress when we go shopping for ours."

"Okay now that we're all here, let's eat, because I'm starving" Rodney suggested

"Of course you are." John told him, shuffling towards the restaurant.

"Ya should be in ya chair son." Carson told him, acting like a mother hen.

"I'll be sitting down in a minute Carson, so just give me a break." John growled at him.

Once inside Carson pushed the wheelchair to the back of the room and sat down. John shuffled to the chair next to him. A high chair was put at the end of the table for Torren sit in. They all ordered burgers and fries and sodas to drink.

"How are things coming with you research Rodney?" Carson asked.

"What research is that?" Rodney replied, while trying to stuff a huge bite of burger in his mouth.

"The bone growing research you've been working on, Rodney." Carson told him, impatiently.

"I've all finished and it's ready to go." Rodney explained.

"How will the procedure work McKay?" John asked, looking up from what he was doing.

"It shouldn't take long. Apparently we just need measurements and then we use the device to grow the bone inside your body. You may be off of your feet for two to four weeks after the surgery, but then you'll be as good as new." Rodney explained, in between mouthfuls.

"That's great news. Have you sent your findings to Woolsey?" Carson asked, with excitement in his voice.

"Yes, I sent them over just before we came here."

"That's all good news, but I don't want to have the surgery before we go back to Atlantis. I want to get married and it's less than two weeks before we go back to Pegasus." John told them, with determination in his eyes.

Carson was about to disagree when Rodney interrupted. "It appears that Woolsey tends to agree with Sheppard, he's running it past the IOA and the SGC this afternoon, so we'll know more when we get back to Atlantis."

John was bored with the conversation, so he turned his attention to his son. He chuckled when he saw that Torren had ketchup all over his face and clothes.

"I think I better get T.J. cleaned up a little before we leave." John told them, picking Torren up.

"Where do ya think you're going, without a wheelchair?" Carson chastised.

John just ignored him and shuffled to the bathroom.

"Idiot." Carson muttered, behind John's back.

John came back five minutes later with a clean Torren. He'd had to completely change the boy's clothes, as there was no way to clean him up. He felt absolutely exhausted after his short walk, so he was glad to see his wheelchair waiting for him when he got back. He sat down taking Torren in his lap and Carson wheeled him out of the restaurant. Dave paid the bill on the way out.

Once they were outside in the glorious sunshine again. They split up and went different ways. The boys went to look at suits and the girls went to buy dresses.

Ronan and Amelia weren't there with them, so the girls were going to pick up Amelia's dress and the boys were going to collect Ronan's suit.

The boys went to the suit hire place two streets down. John entered the store, followed by Carson, Rodney and Dave.

"Do you know what you're looking for John?" Dave asked him.

"I only know the colour of the girls' dresses." John told them, as he showed them a photo of the colour on his phone.

They were looking around the store when a young woman approached them. "Do you need any help?"

John answered her. "I'm getting married in less than a week's time and I need some suits for my groomsmen. This is the colour the bride's maids are wearing." He pulled out his phone and showed her the colour.

"I think we can help you with that." She told them, as she led the way over to a row of waist coats. "We should be able to match these waist coats up with black suits and matching bow ties."

"Do you have one small enough to fit this little guy?" John asked, pointing to Torren, who was still sitting in his lap.

"I have just the thing." She replied, walking away.

She came back a few minutes later with the most adorable little suit.

"Look at this suit T.J., do you want to try it on?" John asked him.

Torren nodded and John wheeled himself into a change room with Torren still sitting on his lap.

When Torren came out of the change room to show everybody, there were gasps all round, he looked absolutely adorable.

"I loot good?" Torren asked.

"Amazing." Dave told him.

"Let's get changed now Torren and then everyone else can try on suits while we sit and rest." John told him, hugging him tightly.

John and Torren came out of the change room and sat in the corner while the others tried on their suits. John was absolutely exhausted, as was Torren, so they both sat there and fell asleep.

Half an hour later the suits had been tried on and Carson, Dave and Rodney came looking for John and Torren; they were amazed to find them both fast asleep.

Dave walked up to John and gently shook him. "Little brother, it's time to go."

There was no response, so Dave shook him a little harder. "John, wake up?"

There was still no response, so Rodney shook him and yelled at the same time. "Hey Sheppard, _wake up?"_

John's eyes shot open and if Dave hadn't reacted quickly he would have dropped Torren.

"There's no need to shout McKay?" John said, glaring at him.

Carson looked at him and spoke quietly. "We've tried the suits on and it's time to go."

"Let's go then." John suggested.

They went to the counter and paid for the suits and arranged for them to be picked up another day. Dave pushed John and they walked towards the boats. They had arranged to meet the girls there and they were going to head back to Atlantis together.

The girls were already there when they arrived.

Jennifer was the first to speak. "Colonel you're really going to love Teyla's dress it's absolutely gorgeous."

"I'm sure it is, but Teyla would look gorgeous in anything." John replied.

Teyla blushed. "The other dresses' are beautiful, as well."

"What do they look like?" Rodney asked, curiously.

"You have to wait until their wedding Meredith." Jeannie replied, using his real name. He really hated it when she did that.

John looked at them all and tried to swallow a yawn. "Okay can we get going now? I'm really

tired and I just want to go to sleep."

"Why is he so tired? He just slept for half an hour." Rodney asked rolling his eyes.

Carson sighed, before answering. "He almost died a week ago. His body is still recovering from the Trauma.

Before, Rodney had a chance to say anything else. Teyla spoke softly. "Let us head back to Atlantis, as I am feeling rather tired as well."

"Yes I agree." Dave told them and helped John into the boat.

Once everyone else was in the boat they started moving. John sighed looking at the sunset. The sky was a pale pink which changed to a deep crimson, just on the horizon. He watched the brilliant orange ball of fire sink below the horizon. At that moment he was perfectly content to be right where he was and to share the moment with his family and friends. This was one of those rare moments when nothing else mattered, except just being present in that exact moment.

**TBC….**

**My longest chapter yet. **

**For those readers waiting for a Wedding, hang in there, I'll be getting to it soon.**


	16. Chapter 16: Nightmares

**Chapter 16: Nightmares.**

_John was walking down a dark, damp corridor, he had no idea where he was or where he was going, but he just kept walking. He walked a little farther and realised that he was getting cold, looking down he realised that he only had his boxer shorts on. Things were really beginning to freak him out, so he started running. Up ahead he saw a light, so he ran towards it, increasing his speed. As his sped up he became breathless. When he looked down again, he realised that a giant Iratus bug was attached to his chest. Still he kept running, the light seemed to get farther away and then he heard a scream. His heart almost burst out of his chest, he knew that was Teyla's scream. Eventually the light got closer and as he entered the light filled room, he was sickened by what he saw; Teyla was a dried up husk on the floor and Kanaan was standing over her, only Kanaan was a Wraith._

_Before he had a chance to blink Kannan had a screaming Torren in his arms. _

"_Help Daddy help?"_

_Kanaan ran past him with Torren and then John screamed._

John awoke with sweat dripping down his face for the third night in a row; he just kept on having the same dream over and over. This was getting ridiculous he was getting married in three days and he had barely slept in three. He knew that he had to do something about it now. Rolling over and trying not to disturb Teyla, he noticed that it was 0500. Deciding that he wasn't going to get any more sleep, he slowly got out of bed, and stumbled down the hall to the living area.

He tapped his radio. "Beckett this is Sheppard are you awake?"

"_Aye son, I'm in the infirmary. What can I do for you?"_

"I'm coming to see you now, Sheppard out."

"_I'll see you in five minutes then, Beckett out."_

John quickly got himself dressed and got in his wheelchair, leaving a note for Teyla on the table; he headed down to the infirmary.

Arriving a few minutes later he looked around to find Carson in his office, with his eyes closed. John stood up and shuffled into his office.

"Carson." He said, gently shaking the man.

Carson slowly opened his eyes and looked up at John.

"Sit down John, before you fall down."

John sat down in a chair in the corner of Beckett's office.

"Doc I really need to talk to you." John told Carson anxiously.

"What can I do for you at 5 o'clock in the morning John?"

"I've been having exactly the same nightmare for the last three nights now. It's always the same, Kanaan is a Wraith and he's sucking the life out of Teyla and stealing Torren away from me. Could Kanaan still be influencing my thoughts?"

"Why would you think that?" Carson asked him, with concern.

John sighed before he spoke. "Because the night the dream started, I went to see Kanaan."

"What did he say to you?"

"He told me that I had taken everything from him and that he hadn't finished with me yet. His exact words were this isn't over."

"I suppose I could perform another brain scan, but that would mean bringing him up to the infirmary again."

"Can you please do that, as soon as possible Doc? I'm going to go crazy if I don't get some sleep soon."

"I could sedate you for a few hours colonel, if you'd like?"

"You know what Doc, that sounds like a great idea right now. Can you let Teyla know where I am?"

Carson led John to a bed and helped him up. "I'll be back in a moment with a little something to help ya sleep."

John had his eyes closed when Carson returned and injected a sedative in the John's Shoulder.

"This should knock you out for about four hours John."

"Thanks Doc." John replied, drifting off to sleep.

Once John was asleep Carson contacted Teyla to let her know where John was.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla was awakened from her sleep by a soft crackle beside her ear. She couldn't quite work out what it was for a start, as she was still disoriented. Rolling over to look at the clock, she realised that it was 0600 and John was not in bed beside her. She heard the strange crackle again and rolled back over to look at her bedside table. After another minute or two of fumbling around in the dark, she realised that it was her radio which was crackling.

She put the ear piece in her ear and answered. "Teyla, here."

_Teyla its Carson I'm just letting you know that John is in the infirmary, if you're wondering where he is."_

"What is wrong with him, is he okay?" Teyla asked, in a panicked voice.

"_Don't worry lassie, he's just been having trouble sleeping, so I gave him a little something to help."_

"How long will he be asleep?"

"_Hopefully it will be about four hours."_

"Okay I will be down in a couple of hours to sit with him then, Teyla out."

"_Don't worry too much luv, Carson out."_

Teyla sighed it was going to be a long day. She tapped her radio again and contacted Dave.

"Dave It is Teyla here. Can I ask a favour of you today?"

"_Sure Teyla. What is it?" Dave's voice sounded groggy, as if he'd just woken up._

"Can you please look after Torren this morning, John is in the infirmary and I want to be with him?"

"_Is John alright?"_

"Yes Carson has just given him something to help him sleep. He's been having nightmares again."

"_No problem's Teyla. I just need to make a few calls to the office after breakfast and then I will look after him for the day, Dave out."_

"I'll see you at breakfast, Teyla out."

Teyla sighed again. She wondered if things would ever be normal for them. Things always seemed to be conspiring against them ever being happy. John had spent way too much time captured or in the infirmary recovering from injuries over the last two or three years and she had to wonder if it was the right thing letting him get this close to her, because if anything ever happened to him she wondered if she could survive.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Torren wondering into her room. "Where Daddy?"

"He's fine. He's just very tired and needs to have a long sleep, so Uncle Carson is helping him sleep."

"Otay, Pantates?"

"Yes we can have Pancakes for breakfast, seeing Daddy isn't here to make them, we will have to go down to the mess hall. Just give me a while to get dressed , then I will help you and then we can go."

Torren nodded and left the room. Teyla watched him go thinking how lucky she was to have Torren and John.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_John was walking down a dark, damp corridor, he had no idea where he was or where he was going, but he just kept walking. He walked a little farther and realised that he was getting cold, looking down he realised that he only had his boxer shorts on. Things were really beginning to freak him out, so he started running. Up ahead he saw a light, so he ran towards it, increasing his speed. As his sped up he became breathless. When he looked down again, he realised that a giant Iratus bug was attached to his chest. Still he kept running, the light seemed to get farther away and then he heard a scream. His heart almost burst out of his chest, he knew that was Teyla's scream. Eventually the light got closer and as he entered the light filled room, he was sickened by what he saw; Teyla was a dried up husk on the floor and Kanaan was standing over her, only Kanaan was a Wraith._

_Before he had a chance to blink Kannan had a screaming Torren in his arms. _

"_Help Daddy help?"_

_Kanaan ran past him with Torren and then John screamed._

_John didn't wake up this time. He looked around and found that Kanaan was standing in front of him._

"_Colonel Sheppard finally, I've got you attention."_

_This is a bit weird I must still be asleep John thought? There is no way that I would be talking to Torren on a balcony in Atlantis. He looked down and realised that he had his base uniform on and he was standing up without any difficulties._

"_What the hell is this Kanaan?"_

"_I'm in your head and you'll never wake up, your body will slowly shut down and then Teyla and Torren will be mine. I understand that she will need a period to mourn you, but I am a patient man. I will allow her that time and be there for her and then she will have to acknowledge her feelings for me."_

"_You're still delusional Kanaan, Beckett will work out what's going on and he'll stop you."_

"_I think not." Kanaan walked towards John and grabbed John's head in his hands and started to squeeze._

_John groaned as he felt the pressure increase. He put his head up to his head and felt the edges of his vision begin to grey._

"_I can do this all day, it won't hurt me, but it may injure you physical body."_

_The pressure was released as Kanaan let go, just before he blacked out he heard Kanaan say. "Don't forget this isn't over. It won't be over until your dead."_

_He lay there for a second and then let the darkness claim him._

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Carson stood outside of the holding cell with a gurney. Kanaan was in deep meditation, but he didn't want to have to deal with him if he woke up, so he had Ronan help lift him onto a gurney and then he gave him a sedative.

Todd spoke from the next cell; he sounded weak and looked pale and thin. It was difficult for him to speak. "He's manipulating someone's mind again. If I had to take a guess I would say it would be JJohn SShheppards mind."

"Why would you say that?" Carson asked him, not really in the mood for any of Todd's games.

"He has been muttering nonstop, about getting revenge, for the last three days." Todd hissed at them.

"Okay, do you know what we can do about it?" Carson asked, with fear in his eyes.

"I can help you refine your retro virus, so that it is more effective, but what's in it for me?" Todd growled at him.

"Dr Keller has perfected the retrovirus that causes the wraith to never have to feed again. If you help me, I'll help you."

"Is there any other option?" Todd grumbled.

"No that's my final offer. Take it or leave it?"

"Should I believe you or kill you right here on the spot?" Todd hissed

Ronan raised his gun ready to shoot, before Carson spoke. "You have my word and you know that my word can be trusted, because Colonel Sheppard trusts me with his life."

"Then I accept your offer." Todd told him, and bowed his head.

Carson tapped his radio. "Mr Woolsey its Carson here, I need to see you in my office right away."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla had been sitting by John's bed for six hours and he hadn't awoken he'd been out four hours longer that Carson had expected. Carson had attached an IV, a catheter and heart monitor. Jennifer was hovering over him when John started to moan and attempt to hold his head. There were clearly pain lines around his eyes, as he scrunched them up. Then as quickly as it had started, he started to settle down again.

Teyla was worried, as she looked at Jennifer. "What is wrong with him?"

"Carson seems to think that Kanaan is manipulating his thoughts again. He's down in the holding cells with him now."

Teyla just nodded. Why John she thought? All he had ever down was love her, but Kanaan just couldn't accept that and move on with his life. She grabbed John's hand as he moaned again.

"If he doesn't regain consciousness in the next twelve hours I'm going to have to insert a feeding tube." Jennifer told her with sadness.

"I will sit with him for a bit longer and then I must go and get something to eat." Teyla told her.

Jennifer nodded and left the room.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Woolsey entered Carson's office ten minutes after he had been called.

"Report Doctor Beckett?"

"Colonel Sheppard came in this morning, complaining that he'd had the same nightmare three nights in a row. He asked me if Kanaan could be influencing his dreams. I told him I'd check it out and then I gave him a sedative that should help him sleep for about four hours. That was ten hours ago and he's still asleep and he shows no sign of waking."

"Is there anything you can do?" Woolsey asked, with concern.

"Todd has offered to help me refine the retro virus, which we used to help the Athosians reclaim their original selves, after Michael had experimented on them."

"What does he want in return Doctor?"

"He is willing to let Dr Keller try her new retrovirus on him, so that he doesn't need to feed on humans any longer. I think that he realises that is the only way for him to stay alive."

"Well then do it." Woolsey told him.

Ronan and Lorne brought Todd into Carson's medical lab five minutes later and Dr Cole along with a few nurses wheeled Kanaan's gurney into an isolation room, so that they could keep an eye on his brain activity.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_John was flying a puddle Jumper over San Francisco bay, the view was magnificent, but the company wasn't. John looked over to the passenger's seat and saw Kanaan sitting next to him. He sighed wishing that this was real, because he hadn't had too many of these nice peaceful moments lately._

"_It's only a matter of time Colonel your brain waves are slowing and eventually that will lead to brain death, so you might as well enjoy whatever scenario I can conjure up for you."_

"_Do you know that you're an Idiot Kanaan? My friends and family will never allow that to happen, they are the smartest people in two galaxies."_

_John got up and made a lunge for Kanaan, but Kanaan was quick and he grabbed his arm and managed to break his wrist._

_Kanaan looked at John cradling his arm and told him. "Don't you get it? Whatever I do to you here is happening to your physical body."_

"_Why isn't effecting you physical body?" John asked, him cradling his injured arm._

"_Because I can not only manipulate your mind, but I can manipulate your body with my mind as well. I choose to cause as much pain and damage to your body as I wish."_

_John managed to get up and hit him with his other arm, but before he had a chance to do anything else Kanaan had his hands around his throat and was squeezing the life out of him._

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla was still sitting with John it had been six hours since John had shown any sign of movement or made a noise. Jennifer came into the room to take another set of vitals. Things were not looking good, his brain waves were slowing down and they both knew that if they didn't do something to break Kanaan's hold over his mind soon, that he would probably die.

Jennifer was taking his blood pressure when they heard a loud cracking noise. They looked down and saw that Johns wrist had been broken.

"What the hell is going on?" Jennifer yelled out.

Carson came running into the room followed by Todd and Rodney. They looked down at John, just as he started to struggle for breath. It didn't take very long for his lips to turn blue.

Carson put an oxygen mask over his face, but that didn't seem to help.

"You've got to be kidding me. It's almost like he's being strangled." Carson exclaimed.

All of a sudden his breathing settled back into a normal pattern.

"I think we should hook him up to a nasal cannula, just to help with his breathing." Jennifer suggested.

"I Agree." Carson told her.

"I think that we should hurry. Sheppard doesn't have much time." Rodney stated.

"Can you fix his arm Rodney?" Teyla asked him, with tears in her eyes.

"Yes just give me a few minutes and I'll grab the bone healing device." Rodney told her with kindness in his voice.

Rodney left along with Todd and Carson. Jennifer sat next to Teyla and put her arm around her. Teyla just let the tears full. Why was Kanaan doing this to John? She thought that Kanaan was okay with her being with John. When she visited him on New Athos almost a year ago, he'd moved on and he was with someone else. She wondered what had happened to him, to make him seek out revenge of the man she loved.

Rodney came in a moment later and waved the device over John's arm. His face seemed to relax, as the bone was healed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_John found himself hiking in the mountains on New Athos .The view was beautiful, he looked to the left and could see snow covered peaks with a river winding through them and to his right there were grasslands and forests. He sighed again enjoying the view and then he realised that it wasn't real._

_Initially he was on his own, but then he realised that Kanaan had come up beside him. _

"_How are you enjoying the view Colonel Sheppard? This will probably be the final thing you'll ever see, your brainwaves are continuing to slow down. It won't be much longer now."_

"_Why don't you just end this Kanaan? Teyla will never go for you now. She'll never forgive you if I die and you'll have ruined your own life, as well as Teyla's and Torren's."_

"_She will love me again." Kanaan yelled at him, before producing a huge knife out of nowhere._

"_You've got to be freaking kidding me?" John mumbled._

_John tried to dodge the knife, as Kanaan vigorously swung it at him, but he was too slow and he felt the knife slice his arm. Kannan kept swinging and then he felt the knife push into his stomach._

_The last thing he heard before the darkness claimed him again was Kanaan's evil laugh._

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Finally after John had been asleep for thirty hours, Todd and Carson, along with Rodney's help made their breakthrough.

Carson went into John's room to find that Teyla and Dave were sitting by John's bed, holding his hands.

Jennifer had just inserted a feeding tube and was cleaning her things up when Carson arrived.

"We've found the solution; we just have to administer it. Todd says that it should have an instantaneous effect."

"Thank you Carson." Teyla whispered, looking up at him.

Five minutes later Carson and Todd entered the isolation room that Kanaan was in. Carson moved over and injected the retrovirus into Kanaan's IV. They looked at his brain read outs for a while and realised that they were slowly beginning to settle down to a normal pattern.

"I think that we've finally done it." Carson sighed.

"Yesss." Todd hissed. "Now can you try Dr Keller's retro virus on me? Otherwise I will feed on Kanaan before your eyes."

"I will take you to an isolation room and once we are sure that Colonel Sheppard is going to be okay, I will administer it."

"That is acceptable." Todd answered.

Ronan was hovering in the background with Major Lorne. "Ronan, Major Lorne, can you please escort our guest to isolation room two?"

"With pleasure." Ronan grumbled.

As Ronan and Lorne led Todd out of the Room, Carson's radio activated.

"_Keller to Carson, we have a medical emergency, it seems like Colonel Sheppard has been stabbed and we need to get him into surgery now."_

"I'm on my way." Carson replied as he rushed out of the room.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John had been asleep for thirty hours and for most of that time Dave of Teyla had been sitting beside him. Teyla was dozing when John let out a yelp; she looked up to see a cut appearing on his arm and blood starting to run down it.

She watched him struggle for a few minutes, before he yelled out in his sleep. The next thing she saw was blood beginning to pour out of his abdomen.

She pressed the call button and Dave started yelling for a doctor.

Jennifer came in to see what all the noise was. She was shocked by what she saw, Teyla was pressing down on John's arm and Dave was practically on the bed pressing down on John's abdomen.

She ran over to the bed grabbing pressure bandages on the way.

John chose that moment to awake and he yelled out in agony. The poor man was obviously confused and disoriented.

"Dave, Teyla, You're going to have to leave now." Carson told them, as he entered the room and started to treat his patient.

Dr Cole and Marie entered the room and started helping as well.

"Marie, Dr Cole can you start preparing the OR please?" Carson asked, while holding a pressure bandage to Johns arm.

Jennifer was busy holding a bandage to his abdomen.

The last words that Teyla heard as she headed out of the door were form Carson. "Dam it he's stopped breathing, we're going to have to intubate."

**TBC…**

**I Know I'm Sorry. Things are never simple for John and I felt that Kanaan needed to make good on his threat, but don't worry there's still a wedding to come.**


	17. Chapter 17: The aftermath

**Chapter 17: The aftermath.**

_The last words that Teyla heard as she headed out of the door were form Carson. "Dam it he's stopped breathing, we're going to have to intubate."_

Teyla began to sob, as Dave led her out of the infirmary and into the waiting area. They sat there clinging to each other. Right now they were the only two people in existence, connected by their grief and disbelief.

Rodney entered the waiting room and saw that Dave and Teyla were clinging to each other, he didn't know what to say to them, so he went over and threw his arms around them as well.

The three of them were clinging to each other when Woolsey entered to room.

"What happened?" He whispered, with concern.

It was Dave who spoke first. "It appears that somehow Kanaan was able to injure John, by messing with his mind. It appears as if he has been stabbed."

"Where is Kanaan now?" Woolsey asked.

"He's been taking back down to the holding cells and he's still sedated." Lorne told him, entering the room followed by Ronan.

"I should have killed him when I first found him on Atlantis." Ronan growled.

"Everybody deserves a second chance Ronan and at the time I was willing to give him a chance to change his ways, but it seems as if he doesn't want anything other than revenge." Woolsey told him thoughtfully.

"Can I shoot him now?" Ronan muttered.

"I think that I will hand him over to area 51 and let them decide what to do with him." Woolsey stated.

"Kanaan doesn't deserve that Kind of consideration. I'd hate to say it but I agree with Conan. Let's just shoot him." Rodney suggested, in a high pitched voice bordering on panic.

"Unfortunately that's not the way we do things around here, if we gave in to those feelings, we'd be no better than Kanaan, or anyone else seeking revenge." Woolsey stated.

Eventually Teyla let go of Dave and spoke. "We must let someone else decide what to do with him right now. We are too upset to make that decision."

Dave nodded in agreement, still holding Teyla tight. He led Teyla to a chair and sat down next to her, with his arm still around her. Rodney and Ronan joined them in chairs and Woolsey had to leave to attend to some paperwork.

"Please keep me informed of Colonel Sheppard's condition?" Woolsey asked, as he left the room.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Carson was getting ready to intubate Colonel Sheppard, when the man's eyes flew open and he took a deep breath. His breathing soon settled down in to a normal pattern, so Carson put an oxygen mask over his face, to help his breathing. John's relaxed and drifted off to sleep again and Carson and Jennifer wheeled him into surgery.

When they arrived in the OR they were surprised to find that the bleeding had slowed down and it wasn't anywhere near as bad as they had thought it to be.

"Let's get a scan?" Jennifer suggested, giving Carson a hand held scanner.

Carson waved the scanner over John's abdomen and was shocked by what he saw.

"There appears to be no internal damage, even though when we took our initial scan, there was massive damage to his Kidney and his liver." Carson explained, with a confused look on his face.

"It looks as if all he will require is a few stitches." Jennifer stated, equally as confused.

"I think I'll continue on with the blood transfusion, as it he did lose a lot of blood." Carson told her.

"I agree, let's get to work and stitch up these wounds." Jennifer suggested.

Both doctors were totally confused, how had it gone from looking like they were about to lose their patient, to just needing to put a few stiches in him. It must have been a miracle Jennifer thought, as she continued to work?

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The team had been sitting in the waiting room for about an hour when Carson approached them. They all stood up, as he entered; Dave still had his arm around Teyla.

"How is he Carson?" Rodney asked, in a high pitched voice.

"He's fine. We had to put in a few stitches and give him a blood transfusion, but he should be right as rain in a day or so." Carson told them, still looking confused.

"How is that possible, he was bleeding out all over the floor and you were about to intubate when we left?" Teyla asked him, the relief evident in her voice.

"I honestly don't know, maybe it was a miracle, or maybe Kanaan's mind disconnected with him before he could do too much damage." Carson said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Can we see him?" Dave asked.

"Yes you can, but only Dave and Teyla are allowed to stay with him, at the moment."

They all nodded. Carson led them through to John's room. For someone who they thought was going to die an hour ago, he didn't look to bad. His arm was bandaged and it appeared that his abdomen was bandaged as well. There was an IV in each arm, one giving him blood the other one giving him fluids. He still had and oxygen mask on his face and he looked a little pale.

"When will he wake up?" Teyla asked, taking his hand, trying not to disturb his IV.

"I could be any time lassie. He's just in a deep sleep, which is good for him right now." Carson explained.

"I'm off the gym." Ronan muttered.

"I've got some work to do in my lab. Let me know when he wakes up?" Rodney told them, heading for the door.

Dave sat on the other side of the bed and held John's other hand. "I'll go and get Torren in a few minutes, to give Amelia a break okay."

"Thank you Dave."

A few minutes later, as Dave was leaving to go and collect Torren, Teyla started humming softly to John. Dave smiled thinking how lucky John was to have Teyla in his life.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Woolsey was just about to contact General O'Neill when Carson's call came through.

"_Mr Woolsey its Beckett here, I'm just calling to give you an update on Colonel Sheppard."_

"How is he Doctor?"

"_He'll be fine in a day or two; his injuries weren't as severe as we first thought. All we can think off was that Kanaan's hold over him was disconnected, before he had a chance to do too much damage."_

"Keep me apprised Doctor, Woolsey out."

"_Will do, Carson out."_

Woolsey sighed that was certainly good news. He needed John to fly the city in just over a week and he was supposed to be getting married in two days. He hoped that everything could go ahead according to the schedule that had been set.

He needed to contact O'Neill over this matter. He tapped his radio again.

"Chuck, can you get me General O'Neill please?"

"_I'm on it, Chuck out."_

A few minutes later General O'Neill's face appeared on his computer screen.

"_What can I do for you Richard?"_

"We need to do something about Kanaan. He has been connecting with Colonel Sheppard's mind through his dreams. The Colonel had the same dream three nights in a row and it started after he'd gone to see Kanaan." Woolsey took a breath and continued. "The problem is the last time he connected, he injured Colonel Sheppard."

"_How bad is it, will he be okay?"_

"He should be fine in a few days, but initially the injuries appeared to be much worse and we were in danger of losing him. Dr Beckett thinks that Kanaan's mind was disconnected before too much damage was done."

"_What do you suggest we do with him?"_

"I suggest that he be sent to Area 51, because I don't want him anywhere near the Sheppard family right now."

"_I'll talk to the SGC and IOA. Please keep me apprised of John's condition, as I really would hate for him to miss his own wedding."_

"Will do Jack."

The transmission was disconnected and Woolsey sighed again, he decided that it was time for his dinner; he decided that he would get something from the mess hall and eat in his quarters tonight, because he wasn't in to mood for conversation.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John was floating in the darkness; all he could remember was being stabbed, but was that real or was it a dream. He thought he heard an angel singing again and wondered if he should open his eyes. Then the singing stopped and he felt a soft silky hand against his face, he defiantly had to see what was going on, so he struggled to open his eyes. It took a while but it was worth it. He opened his eyes to see the most beautiful woman in the world looking down at him.

"What happened?" He managed to croak out.

"Would you like some water?" Teyla asked, with concern.

When he nodded she held the straw up to his lips and he took a sip. His throat was dry and scratchy and it really hit the spot.

"I must go and get Carson, he told me to let him know when you awoke."

John nodded again and closed his eyes thinking that it would be a good idea to go to sleep again.

"How are ya feeling lad?" Carson's thick Scottish brogue filled the room."

"I'm fine, what happened?" John stated, giving his usual response.

"What do ya remember lad?"

"I came into the infirmary, after having nightmares for three nights in a row and then you sedated me. I only remember bits and pieces after that. I had the same nightmare again and then I was in different locations and Kanaan was there. Did he stab me?"

"I'm afraid he did. It seemed quite severe at first and you stopped breathing, but once we had you in surgery we found that the wound wasn't as bad as we first thought. We're still giving you a blood transfusion, because initially you lost a lot of blood." Carson explained.

"How is that possible?" I do remember waking up for a few minutes and I was in absolute agony. I could feel the blood draining out of my body."

"The reason you had the dreams you were having is we believe Kanaan's mind was connected with yours. He was manipulating each scenario to suit his purposes. We think that when his mind was disconnected, he no longer had the ability to try and manipulate your physical injury. That is the only explanation we can come up with, other than it being a miracle."

"That was totally weird." John stated.

"How's the pain lad?" Carson asked him.

"About a two and I totally mean that, other than feeling tired, I don't feel too bad at all. How long was I out Doc?"

"About forty hours."

"Forty hours, I'm supposed to be getting married in a, Ummm… When's the Wedding Teyla." John asked feeling a little worried.

"It is the day after tomorrow." Teyla reassured him.

"Doc, when can I get out of here?"

"I want to keep you for observation over night, but if all is well, I will release you tomorrow lunch time and before you complain Colonel, that is my final offer."

Suddenly John remembered to reason he was here in the first place. "What happened to Kanaan?"

"We injected him with a more potent dose on the retrovirus. It took us a while to refine it, but with Todd's help we managed it."

"Carson, I don't want him on Atlantis any longer, because I don't want to run the risk of him hurting anyone else."

"It's okay Colonel, Mr Woolsey has already spoken with General O'Neill about having him removed form Atlantis."

"Where is he now?" Teyla asked.

"No need to worry lassie, he's under heavy sedation in a holding cell."

"What's happening with Todd?" John asked.

"He's in isolation room two. Jennifer has just administered the new and improved retrovirus to stop him feeding on humans ever again. Hopefully it will work this time." Carson explained.

"Keep me informed please Doc?" John asked.

"Aye I will, but right now you need some rest. Do you need anything for the pain son?"

"Some extra strength Tylenol should do the trick thanks doc."

"Okay, I bring you some in a minute." Carson told him and walked out of the room.

John looked at Teyla and took her hand. "How are you feeling sweetie?"

"I am fine, it is you that I am worried about Honey."

John looked at her seriously. "Do you still want to marry me? Bad luck seems to follow me around, or you could say that every person I've ever wronged and even those I haven't want revenge."

"I love you John Sheppard and none of this is your fault, so of course I still want to marry you." She told him, leaning down and brushing her lips against his.

John kissed her back forcefully and in no time Teyla was practically on the bed next to him in a passionate embrace.

"What Momma an Daddy doin?" A little voice asked from the side of the bed.

John and Teyla pulled apart quickly. Teyla jumped of the bed to find Torren and Dave standing there.

"I think that Your Momma and Daddy love each other very much and they are telling each other, by kissing each other." Dave explained to him, with a smirk on his face.

"Yucky." Torren told him screwing up his face.

"What's up little brother?" Dave asked, smirking.

John just blushed and tried to hide his embarrassment by turning his head in the other direction.

Teyla broke the silence. "Shouldn't Torren be in bed by now Dave?"

"He just wanted to say goodnight to his Momma and Daddy and I heard that John was awake, so Carson said it would be okay if I brought him down here."

Dave deposited Torren on the bed next to John and told him. "Be careful not to pull off any of the wires, they're there to help daddy feel better."

"You tum home Daddy?"

"I'm coming home tomorrow pal, be a good boy for Uncle Dave until then."

"Tay daddy, I luh you." Torren muttered, throwing his arms around John's neck."

"Goodnight, T.J. I love you too." John told him, kissing the top of his head.

Torren turned to his mother. "Night, Momma. I luh ya."

"I love you Torren and I will see you soon."

After Dave and Torren had left the room, John turned to Teyla. "You don't have to stay and watch me sleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow if we want to get married. Go and get a good night's sleep and I'll see you in the morning."

"He's right ya know." Carson told her as he entered the room. "I have some pain meds for you Colonel. Hopefully after a good night's sleep you should feel better." He injected the medication into John's IV port.

"Thanks Doc."

"Sleep well lad, I'll be in my office if you need me."

Once Carson had left the room Teyla leant down and brushed John's lips again. "Goodnight Honey I will see you tomorrow."

John lips responded. "Goodnight sweetie." He mumbled, when they finally pulled apart.

After Teyla had left the room, John lay there thinking about how lucky he'd been this time. Kanaan's obvious intention was to kill him, but as usual his friends; with the help of Todd, had come up with a solution, just in the nick of time. He lay there with his eyes wide open for a long time, before he fell into a peaceful sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Todd was in a holding cell again. He had been given the retrovirus three hours ago. The Lanteans had told him that it would take a few days to take effect and that in the meantime he should still hibernate, because he wasn't getting a feed anytime soon.

What bothered him the most was that the constant warped wraith presence, which had shared the cell next to him, was gone. Kanaan was still there, but his wraith abilities were gone. This made Todd feel cold and alone. He could still feel Teyla's presence and that of her offspring, but for some reason Kanaan's wraith abilities although twisted, were closer to his own.

He closed his eyes again and concentrated on entering a state of hibernation. He really hoped the treatment would work this time, because when they entered the Pegasus Galaxy again he would like to try and contact one of his other hives. He was sure that he would be able to convince one of them to try the treatment, anything to give them an advantage over other hives. Eventually he settled his thoughts and settled in to a deep state of hibernation.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was 20:00 hours and Richard Woolsey was finished for the day, he still had a huge pile of paperwork, but that could wait until tomorrow. The day after that Teyla and Colonel Sheppard were due to be married, so no one was working that day. He had closed his computer and was about to walk out the door, when Amelia contacted him by radio.

He tapped his earpiece. "What can I do for you Amelia?"

"_I have an incoming transmission from General O'Neill for you."_

Richard sighed. "Put him through."

He opened his lap top just in time to see General O'Neill's face pop up on screen.

"What can I do for you at this time of the night Jack?"

"_I have spoken to the SGC and the IOA and they both agree that Kanaan should go back to his people, however, they will take him off of your hand's until Atlantis returns to Pegasus."_

"I suppose that's something. When will they be coming to collect him?"

"_They want Doctor Beckett to escort him, with a team of Marines tomorrow. I trust that the wedding is still going ahead the day after that?"_

"Yes Doctor Beckett assures me that Colonel Sheppard will be well enough to get married."

"_Have Beckett bring over Kanaan tomorrow at three. We certainly don't want him on Atlantis during the wedding, do we?"_

"I'll arrange it in the morning; right now I'm heading to my room for an early night."

"_Goodnight Richard, I'll see you the day after tomorrow."_

"Goodnight Jack."

When the transmission was cut, Woolsey left his office and headed to his quarters, it had been a very long couple of days and all he really wanted to do was go to bed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kanaan slowly drifted towards awareness. Once he knew that he was awake, he looked around only to discover that he was still in a holding cell. What had happened, had he managed to kill John Sheppard? He remembered stabbing him, which should have been enough to kill him. Things were a little hazy after that. He didn't remember seeing the life drain from John Sheppard. Why was he feeling so groggy and why couldn't he sense the wraith in the holding cell next to him.

A few days ago when he'd said to Teyla that he'd lost all of his wraith abilities he had been lying, but this time it was true, he felt cold and icy and couldn't sense anything.

Looking up he noticed that the wraith in the next cell was staring at him.

"What are you looking at?" Kanaan asked the wraith.

"You weren't successful JJohn SShheppard still lives."

"Well I am a patient man; believe me I will find another way."

"They should have just let me feed on you when I had the chance." Todd hissed.

"Why do you care what happens to Colonel Sheppard?" Kanaan asked him, with curiosity.

"Because he is one of the most honourable, intelligent, loyal, fearless warriors I have ever met and I am happy to call him a brother."

"You don't sound much like a wraith." Kanaan commented.

"Well there is much you do not know about wraith." Todd told him.

"Well I still want to destroy John Sheppard."

"You won't get a chance, because there are many who will kill you first if you ever get near him or his mate or her offspring. I will be first in line, so I'd watch my back if I were you." Todd hissed.

"I don't really feel like talking right now, so why don't you _shut the hell_ up?" Kanaan yelled and charged at the forcefield surrounding his holding cell.

They heard the whirr of a weapon being discharged and then Kannan dropped to the floor. Todd saw Ronan coming around the corner.

Todd looked at him and spoke. "Thanksss."

"Thank you, for looking out for Sheppard." Ronan mumbled.

"Did you kill him?"

"Nope unfortunately, I only stunned him."

"Pity" Todd hissed.

**TBC…**

**Hopefully John and Teyla will be able to get married without to many problems now.**


	18. Chapter 18: Final preparations

**Chapter 18: Final preparations.**

Teyla woke early the next morning. There was a lot that they needed to get done today. Torren stayed in his Uncle Dave's quarters overnight, so she only had to worry about getting herself ready this morning. They were all going to meet in the mess hall for breakfast.

John had started cooking in their quarters before Kanaan had attacked him, but everyone knew that Teyla wasn't a good cook, so John wouldn't let her in the kitchen.

John was also coming home before lunch, so she had to arrange for some food to be sent to their quarters. Dave had made plans for the boys to have dinner in San Francisco that night and Jennifer had arranged a special dinner for her. Marie had offered to look after Torren for the night, as she had an early shift in the infirmary the next day. John would be staying in Dave's quarters that night, as it was an earth tradition that the groom wasn't allowed to see the bride on the night before their wedding.

While having a nice hot shower, she thought of what had happened over the last few days. She was grateful that John was going to be alright; yet again and that Kanaan would be removed from Atlantis for the wedding, but she was disappointed that Kanaan was still going to be allowed to return to the Pegasus Galaxy with them. How many chances did one man deserve?

She sighed and turned off the shower, getting dressed, she contacted Dave. "Dave I will be in the mess hall in ten minutes. Are you and Torren ready to meet me there?"

"_We're already there and Torrens already complaining that there are no pancakes."_

_Torrens wail came over her com. "Momma no Pantates."_

"Never mind, I will be there in a short while and I will help you choose something else to eat."

"_Bye Momma."_

"Goodbye sweetheart I will be there in a little while."

Teyla sighed again and finished getting ready. Five minutes later she headed for the mess hall.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John became aware of his surroundings slowly. Looking around he realised that he was in the infirmary; yet again. It took him a few minutes to realise what had landed him there this time. Yep, it was just another idiot with a grudge against him and to make matters worse this idiot had already tried to kill him once.

John was startled into full awareness by Carson entering the room. "How are ya this morning son?"

"Actually, I am feeling pretty good considering what happened. Can I still go into San Francisco tonight for my bachelor party?"

"We'll see how you're feeling later, but I won't make any promises okay?" Carson replied gently.

Changing the subject, John asked. "What's going to happen to Kanaan?"

"Area 51, are going to take him off our hands, until it's time to leave for Pegasus and then we are to return him to his people."

John stared at him with cold anger in eyes. "Why is that fair, why does he get to go home considering, the crimes he's committed against me?"

"I know how ya feel son, but the IOA and SGC really have no idea what to do with him, they feel that Halling would be the best person to decide."

"I should have just let Ronan kill him, or maybe I could have let Todd feed on him?" John mumbled.

Carson chuckled. "That's funny, because Todd and Ronan had a conversation last night and that's exactly what they both said."

John looked at him and raised one eyebrow. "Really, Todd and Ronan having a conversation?"

"Yes apparently Todd was telling Kanaan all of your wonderful virtues and Ronan overheard the whole conversation."

A smile lit up John's face. "Really, Todd thinks I have virtues?"

"Yes apparently he's quite a fan."

John just laughed; it felt good to laugh, as he hadn't had a chance to have much fun since he came to Earth. I seemed that it was one disaster after another; except for the part where he got promoted and engaged.

Finally he finished laughing and looked at Carson. "You really shouldn't make me laugh like that, because it actually hurts."

"Are you stomach stitches pulling?"

"No Doc, it's got nothing to do with my wounds; it's just giving me a stitch."

"Are you in any pain?

"Not much, but some Tylenol would really help though."

"Okay John I'll be right back."

"Just one more question Doc, what are my chances of standing on my feet for my wedding."

Carson looked at him and smiled. "I think that is a real possibility, we'll be able to work something out."

"Thanks Doc."

John watched as Carson left his room, he closed his eyes and thought it was time to settle down for another sleep.

He didn't hear Carson enter a few minutes later and he had no Idea when Carson injected some Tylenol into his IV.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla entered the mess hall looking for Dave and Torren. She found them sitting on a balcony overlooking the bay. It was going to be another warm sunny day and she really thought that she might like to take John for a walk after lunch.

She looked over the serving table and chose some toast and fruit for breakfast along with a cup on Athosian tea. Heading over to the table she heard Torren complain.

"I don wan fruit, I wan pantates."

She sighed; it looked as if Torren was in a difficult mood today. Sitting down she grabbed his attention and looked into his eyes. "Torren John, you will eat what is put in front of you without complaining. You are a very lucky little boy to have the selection of food you have. I was not so lucky growing up."

"Why not, Momma?"

"I will tell you another time, but please eat your food. I know that if Daddy were here, he would tell you the same thing."

Torren looked at her with his best puppy dog eyes. "Sowy, Momma."

"We shall not speak of it again. Just remember that Momma and Daddy are getting married tomorrow and we have a lot to do today, so I need you to be on your best behaviour."

"Otay Momma."

Dave looked at her in amazement. "You are a brilliant mother, do you know that?"

"Thankyou Dave, it is difficult at times, especially when John is not here to help."

"You're doing fine." Dave told her.

Teyla suddenly felt unwell, she hadn't eaten that much this morning, so maybe that was it. She tried to put some food in her stomach, but could only manage a few mouthfuls. I will eat something later in the day, she thought. I hope I'm not coming down with something the day before my wedding.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John was lying on the infirmary bed with his eyes closed, waiting for Carson to give him his final examination. Teyla and Torren arrived first.

"Daddy ya tum hom?"

"Soon pal Uncle Carson just wants to look at me first and see how I'm going."

"Daddy why Kanaa urt ya?"

"Who told you that?" Teyla whispered to the child.

"Unca Wonan. He was mad."

"Kanaan wanted something that he couldn't have and he thought it was my fault that he couldn't have it." John told him.

"Tha rong." Torren explained to his parents.

"You're right it is wrong to want something that someone else has, you have to learn to be grateful for what you have." John explained to his son.

"Like when I ad fuit, cause there was no pantates?"

Teyla smiled at her son, happy that he had learned something that day. "That's right sweetheart."

Their conversation was interrupted by Carson entering the room. "Okay laddie let's have a look at ya?"

Carson pulled up his scrub top and took the dressing of his wound. He poked and prodded it for a little while and then announced. "That looks to be healing nicely. Now let's look at that arm of yours?" He poked and prodded that for a while and announced that the arm was healing nicely as well.

"Have you finished poking and prodding me now Doc? Can I get dressed?" John whined.

"How's the other arm where the transmitter was removed?"

"It's fine Doc you took the stitches out three days ago, remember?"

"Well everything looks to be healing well. Just make sure you don't get the stitches wet. Come into see me in the morning before you get ready and I'll take them out." Carson instructed in a matter of fact tone. John was infamous for not following his instructions.

"Can I get dressed now?" John whined again.

"No problems lad. Take your time." Carson told him.

Carson left the room and Teyla handed John his sweatpants and shirt. She had brought him a button down shirt, because she though that he might have difficulty getting a T-shirt on.

"Come on let us leave daddy to get dressed? We will go and get his wheelchair for him." Teyla took the boy's hand and left the room.

Ten minutes later when Teyla and Torren entered the room John was ready to go. He gently stood up and Teyla helped him settle into his wheelchair. Torren climbed onto his dad's lap and then they left waving to Carson on their way out.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Ronan was down in the holding cells again. He had enjoyed his conversation with Todd the night before. It's strange he thought how is it that I'm interested in talking to a Wraith. They chased me from world to world trying to kill me for seven years, but this Wraith is different; he has a sense of honour.

Ronan arrived at the holding cells and was shocked by what he saw. Todd was writhing on the floor in obvious agony. Kanaan was in the next cell laughing at him, so Ronan pulled out his blaster and stunned Kanaan and then called for Dr Keller.

"Jennifer it's Ronan, something is wrong with Todd."

"_What's happening to him Ronan?"_

"He's having convulsions."

"_Okay keep an eye on him, I'm on my way."_

Ronan looked at the guards outside the door. "Open the cell." He muttered.

The guard opened the cell and Ronan rushed in, approaching Todd he noticed that the convulsions had stopped and Todd was unconscious. He checked his pulse and found that it was strong.

What amazed him though, was that his feeding hand had no mouth on it. What did this mean for the wraith Ronan wondered?

"How is he?" Jennifer asked him, entering the cell with caution.

"He's unconscious and his feeding hand has no mouth." Ronan mumbled.

"That would be a sign that the treatment has work." She explained.

Jennifer knelt down next to her patient and started taking his vitals. "Everything seems normal for a wraith."

She stepped away, just as Todd started to wake. He groaned and allowed Ronan to help him sit up.

"How are you feeling?" Jennifer asked.

"I think I'm hungry." Was Todd's, reply.

Jennifer looked at Ronan and smiled.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

John settled into his lazy boy chair. He was totally wiped; I'll never get back to active duty if I feel exhausted all the time. I won't even be able to get through my wedding ceremony, the way things are going, he thought to himself, thinking that it must be time for a sleep again.

His eyes were beginning to droop when Teyla came in with his lunch. She had brought him a glass of orange juice and a turkey sandwich.

She touched his shoulder lightly. "Honey I've brought you lunch."

"Where's Torren?" John asked opening his eyes.

"Amelia has him for the afternoon, so we can do our final wedding preparations."

"Sound's good, but can I have a sleep first?"

"I'll put your sandwich in the fridge and then I'll come and keep you company." She told him heading for the kitchen.

She came back and gently sat on John's lap careful to avoid his injuries. Placing a kiss on his lips she snuggled close to him. John was asleep within five minutes.

Teyla was just beginning to doze when her com activated.

"_Teyla its corporal Higgins here, I'm just wondering what kind of cake you want? I'm just wanting to start you cake and I have no idea what flavour you'd like?_

"Give me half an hour and I'll talk to John and then I'll let you know."

"_Okay, make sure you get back to me as soon as possible, Higgins out."_

She was starting to settle down when her com activated again.

"_Teyla its Lt Jenkins, I understand that you need someone to take photos of your wedding, can I come by and talk to you about it?"_

"I will meet you in the mess hall in one hour, Teyla out."

"_I will be there, Jenkins out."_

She was about to settle down again when her com activated again.

"_Teyla its Katie Brown, I just want to talk to you about your flowers for the wedding."_

Teyla sighed. "I will contact you later this afternoon, Teyla out."

"_Make sure you do, Katie out."_

She took her head piece of and put it in her room; she didn't want to be disturbed any longer. Settling down next to John again she let herself fall asleep.

Half an hour later she woke up to find that John was staring at her and rubbing his hand up and down her leg. "You're, awake, would you like your lunch now Honey?"

"Not really, I'm just enjoying laying here with you sweetie." He told her and leant in for a kiss.

He moved the wrong way and gasped. "Okay, maybe I will have lunch now; I don't think I'd be able to do what I have in mind anyway."

"Save that for tomorrow night Honey." She told him with a twinkle in her eye.

When she'd given him his sandwich, she told him about the constant stream of calls she'd had that afternoon in regards to their wedding.

"I thought we were going to have a traditional fruit cake?" John told her.

"That's what I thought too. I will let Corporal Higgins, know then."

"Lt Jenkins wants to meet with us about the photos as well."

"Okay sweetie, I will come with you for that one, but can I leave the flowers up to you?"

The rest of the afternoon was spent preparing for their wedding the next day. John was exhausted again by 1600 hours, so he thought that it was time for a sleep again before Dave came to pick him up for his bachelor party. This time he decided that the bed would be a good place to sleep. Teyla joined him a few minutes later and lay next to him. They set the alarm for 1700 hours, to give them both enough time to get ready for the evening's events.

An hour later the alarm went off, Teyla just rolled over and switched it off. She didn't want to get up just yet. She snuggled back into John's chest and went to sleep again.

Sometime later Teyla was awoken from her sleep by a loud pounding on the door. She rolled over and looked at the clock and realised that it was 1800 hours. Shaking John to wake him up she got out of bed; luckily she was still fully clothed and headed for the door. Opening it she found Dave standing there.

"Come in Dave, I will just go and get John. He was feeling a little tired this afternoon, so he's just woken up from a nap."

In the past Dave would have been angry by the fact that his brother was not ready when he wanted to leave, but not now, having had the chance to get to know John better over the last few weeks, he understood what an incredible burden the man often carried.

"Tell him to take his time. I'll just wait here." Dave told her, sitting down in the lazy boy chair.

John was just waking up when Teyla came back in.

"What's going on?" John asked her, still groggy from his nap.

"Dave is here and ready to go."

"Aw crap." John muttered, getting to his feet and shuffling to the bathroom.

Ten minutes later he was dressed and ready to go and he even managed to wheel himself to the lounge room.

"Are you ready for your last night of freedom little brother?"

John just smiled at his brother and they walked out of his apartment together. He didn't know what he was going to do when they went back to Pegasus. He and Dave had become best friends again, like they were when they were young. No point in worrying about that now he thought. I just want to enjoy every moment I have with him over the next week.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John and Dave arrived at the steakhouse restaurant to find that the rest of the guys were already there. Dave had invited, Rodney, Ronan, Carson, and Lorne and to his surprise General O'Neill was there. Apparently Woolsey was going to come by later.

"Jack it's good to see you." He said shaking his hand.

"It's good to see that you're up and about John. I was afraid that you were going to miss your own wedding."

"Yes well luckily Carson came up with a solution and was able to put me back together again."

"With the help of a wraith I understand?"

"Well Jack, Todd has always been a useful ally and for some reason he seems to think a lot of me." John told him, before asking. "Is Kanaan gone from Atlantis?"

Carson was the one who answered. "Ay he is for now. He shouldn't be causing any problems on your special day."

"Okay, let's stop talking about work and order steaks and beer. I am allowed to have a beer aren't I Doc?" John asked, using his best puppy dog look.

"How can I refuse you when you look at me like that?" Carson chuckled.

Once they had ordered the steak and beers they started asking Dave questions about John when he was younger.

"I bet he always had the girls chasing him, didn't he?" Rodney asked.

"Why would you say that?" Dave asked him, with a quizzical look.

"He's good looking and charming, surely all the girls would have wanted to be with him and all the boys would have wanted to be him."

"McKay." John forced out, looking embarrassed.

Dave came to his rescue. "John didn't really have time for girls in school; he loved playing sport and was the top of his class. He had friends, but he wasn't necessarily the most popular boy in school."

Carson spoke next asking "How often was he hurt as a kid?"

"That's enough. Can we talk about something other than me?" John asked, forcefully.

"Actually, no little brother, this in your bachelor party and all the guys need to find out a little more about you." Dave told him chuckling.

Anyway you were going to tell me about some of his injuries?" Carson asked Dave again.

"He fell of his horse about ten times. The worst fall he was in a coma for a week." Dave told him. "He was always climbing to the top of the house or the tallest tree, when mom was alive it really scared her. I'm not sure what dad thought, because after mom died, he didn't seem to take much notice for a while."

This kind of talk went on well into the night. They ate their steak and drank quite a few beers, before John announced that it was time to go, as he was getting married tomorrow.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Jennifer led Teyla into the mess hall at around 1900 hours. Jennifer had arranged for a special dinner for Teyla and her friends to celebrate her last night as a single woman.

The meal consisted of prawn cocktail for and entrée, roast chicken for a main meal and a rich chocolate cake for desert. There was also white wine to drink. Amelia had told her of the tradition of having a male stripper, to come and dance for them, but she had refused outright. She didn't really like that tradition.

She was here with her closest friends, Jennifer, Amelia and Jeannie. That is all she wanted at right now.

"So, are you guys going to have any more kids in the near future?" Amelia asked her, forcefully.

Teyla blushed. "We haven't given it much thought. I discussed it once with John, when he was unconscious, but we never really discussed it again."

"You should only have kids when you're ready." Jeannie told her. "You have plenty of time to think about that."

"Thank you Jeannie and speaking of kids, when are you and Ronan getting together and having some?" Teyla asked, looking at Amelia.

Now it was Amelia's turn to blush. "Ummm we went out to dinner the other night and I spent the night in his quarters."

"Really." Jennifer asked, wanting more details.

Amelia was blushing again and not sure how to answer when Jeannie came to the rescue. "So Jennifer, what's happening, between you and my brother?"

'

Now Jennifer blushed.

The conversation went on like this well into the night. They downed a few bottles of wine together, but eventually Jennifer announced that it was time to go, as Teyla was getting married tomorrow.

They all said goodnight to one another, except Jennifer, she was going to spend the night at Teyla's place; apparently that was an earth tradition as well.

Once inside her quarters, she headed for bed. Laying there in the dark she thought to herself. I hope that I never have to spend a night alone again.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

They arrived back in Dave's quarters about 2300 hours. Dave pulled a beer out of his fridge and handed it to John.

"What if I'm as bad a husband to Teyla as I was to Nancy?" John asked, thoughtfully.

"I don't think that could possibly happen. When I see the two of you together, I know that it will last. Teyla knows who you are and what you do and she loves you for it. She doesn't want to change you into anything you're not. In the same way you love her, you allow her to be who she is and you love her for that."

"Wow Dave when did you become so emotional and sentimental. Dad would roll over in his grave at that speech."

"My point is I'm proud of the man you have become little brother and I think dad would have felt the same way if he'd had the chance to know you now."

"Thanks' Dave. Now I think I need to go to bed as I'm getting married tomorrow."

John wheeled himself out of Dave's lounge and into the guest bed room. He got himself into bed and thought I hope I don't have to spend a night alone ever again.

**TBC…**

**I'm thinking that the next chapter might be the wedding.**


	19. Chapter 19: The wedding

**Chapter 19: The wedding**

Teyla had a lay in the next morning. She was getting married today. The excitement she felt was dampened by the fact that she didn't feel well. She was going to have to be careful to not let Jennifer know, as she needed Jennifer as her friend to day, she didn't need a doctor.

Torren was being dropped off at Ronan's quarters, early in the day, so that Marie could go to work in the infirmary. Torren would head to Dave's quarters after lunch to dress for the wedding, with the rest of the boys.

Teyla headed for the lounge area for and early brunch. They had ordered in food for brunch, as after lunch the rest of the bridal party was coming to get ready for the wedding.

Walking into the lounge area she found Jennifer making her a cup of Athosian tea.

"Good morning, how's the bride this morning."

"I am well thankyou Jennifer, although I admit I'm feeling a bit nervous."

"There's nothing to worry about Teyla, you two are made for one another."

"I'm having some fruit and toast brought over this morning, I kind of figure you may not want to eat much until after the wedding." Jennifer told her.

"Thank you Jennifer, I'm not really hungry anyway. I think I have butterflies in my stomach. Did I say that right?"

Jennifer laughed. "Yes that's right. Now sit down and enjoy your tea the food will be here in a moment."

Teyla sat down and relaxed, it was nice to not have to do anything. Today was a day focused on her and John. She thought back to when she had met him on Athos. He walked into the meeting tent, that day and charmed his way into her heart; she knew then that he was going to be a big part of her life. She never would have guessed that it would lead to spending the rest of her life bonded to him. She knew that when they arrived back in Pegasus that John wanted to ask Halling to perform the Athosian bonding ceremony.

Although, she didn't like being in the limelight any more than John did, it was still a celebration of their love for one another.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John awoke slowly the next morning, why am I in Dave's quarter's was his first thought, but as he became more aware, he remembered that he was getting married to the love of his life today.

John was startled out of his musings by Dave. "Little brother coffee's ready." Dave yelled from the lounge room.

John sat up in bed and yelled back. "I'll be there in a minute."

His knee's felt a bit stiff and his stomach hurt, so the first thing he needed was some Tylenol. Carson had given him some pills night before, so grabbing the bottle of water on the night stand; he downed the pills, before shuffling to the lounge and sitting down.

"Morning Dave, what's the time?"

"It's 1100 hours."

"What time, are the other's coming?"

"Around 1300 hours." Dave told him; bringing him a cup of coffee.

"Thanks Dave, what's for lunch?"

"I'm having some turkey sandwiches and fruit sent over shortly."

"Sounds great, what am I supposed to do now?"

"Your meant to do absolutely nothing today John. All you have to focus on today is getting married. I'm here to help you achieve that."

John chuckled. "Well in that case I think I'll have another nap."

John sat back and closed his eyes. He was marrying Teyla today. Thinking back to all those years ago when he first walked into her tent on Athos. She had captured his heart the first time she smiled at him. They'd had their ups and downs along the way and at one point he thought that he'd lost her forever, but without her being with Kanaan, they wouldn't have Torren and he couldn't imagine his life without the little boy. Teyla and Torren, were the best thing that had ever happened to him and he was going to do everything that he could to be a good husband and father.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla sat staring at her fruit, she'd managed to eat half a piece of toast, but she knew that if she ate anything else she would be sick. I must be nervous, she thought to herself.

"Are you okay Teyla?" Jennifer asked her, looking concerned.

"I think I'm just nervous."

"You haven't eaten much," Jennifer commented.

"I'll eat something a bit later." She looked at Jennifer. "Do not worry, I am fine."

Jennifer was about to respond when the door chimed.

"Come in it is unlocked." Teyla said.

Jeannie and Amelia walked through to doors carrying their dresses. Maddie miller walked behind Jeannie carrying her own little dress.

"Auntie Teyla." She squealed. "Auntie Jennifer."

"It is good to see you again Maddie." Jennifer greeted her, before picking her up.

"I'm glad to see you Maddie." Teyla greeted her.

"Auntie Teyla, when can I put my pretty dress on?"

"Very soon, Maddie." Teyla told her.

The next two hours were spent putting on their dresses doing hair, nails and makeup.

Maddie was having a wonderful time. Jeannie painted her nails and put a little bit of makeup on her face as well. Jeannie let he wear her hair down and Jennifer curled it for her.

Twenty minutes before 1500 hours Teyla walked out of her bedroom. The others just gasped. She looked absolutely beautiful.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John had eaten a turkey sandwich and some fruit, before settling down for a nap. What is wrong with me he thought? There's no way that I'm going to get through today without needing an afternoon nap. He knew that his body was still recovering from two separate traumas, which it had suffered in the last ten days, but he also knew that in another week he would be flying Atlantis back to Pegasus. Carson had told him to get as much rest as possible, to allow his body time to heal properly.

He was fast asleep when the others arrived, the first he knew, was a heavy weight jumping on him.

"Daddy, why ya seeping?"

John just groaned.

"Careful T.J. Daddy's still got boo boos." Dave told the boy, picking him up.

Carson rushed over to his side to take his pulse. "Are ya okay laddie?"

John just groaned. As Carson started to lift his t-shirt up to check his wound, he managed to croak out, "not here Doc."

"Can you make it to your room?" Dave asked, coming to help him up.

Ronan brought over the wheelchair and Carson and Dave helped him in. Carson then wheeled him to the bedroom. Carson then helped him lie down on the bed before lifting his top up to get a closer look at his healing wound.

Carson was poking at the wound on his abdomen when John groaned again. "Will you stop doing that, _it hurts."_ John practically yelled at him.

"Sorry lad. Everything looks okay, but if you want to stand on your feet for the ceremony, I will have to inject pain medication directly into the wound. There is one other thing I would like to try. It may help the damaged tissue regenerate faster."

"Well what is it?" John asked, eagerly.

"It's a compound we've synthesised from the Iratus bug toxin." Carson told him, cautiously. He knew that John would probably be against it, because the compound was only discovered, after he was captured and experimented on without his consent.

John's face darkened. "If that information was gained, through the experiments done on me without my permission, then I want nothing to do with it."

Carson looked at him and sighed. "I thought that you might say that, but I need to tell you that the compound was synthesised by me and Jennifer and we feel that it could have long term benefits to the expedition."

"That's great Doc, but that is a conversation for another time. All I want for today is to get married and to be able to stand on my own two feet while I do it."

"Why don't you get some rest and I'll give you a pain killer before we head down to the gate room?"

"That's all I've done all morning Doc."

"John, It will get better I promise you. Just take a rest while the rest of us get ready, Dave and I will come and wake you in an hour's time to get ready."

John settled back and closed his eyes again. "Thanks Doc," was the last thing he said before he fell asleep again.

An hour later Dave and Carson came into his room.

Dave shook him gently. "Little brother, it's time to get up."

John opened his eyes slowly to find Carson with his medical bag sitting next to him.

"Is it time already Doc?"

"Yes I'm going to inject your wound with a pain killer, it will take a few minutes to take effect and then you can get dressed okay?"

"Sure thing Doc"

Once the medication had been administered Carson left the room. Dave stayed behind to talk to John and help him if he needed it.

"How are you feeling John?" Dave asked with concern.

"I'm fine; I just hope that I don't fall flat on my face during the ceremony."

"Well that's what I'm here for. I will make sure that doesn't happen."

"Dave thanks for being my brother again over the last couple of weeks."

"It's been good to have my little brother back again and now I have a sister and nephew as well. I'm really happy that you've found someone to share your journey with John."

"Gee Dave you're getting all sentimental again, what would Dad think if he could see you now?"

They looked at each other and laughed and then Dave pulled John in for a hug. They stayed like that for a few minutes before John pulled away.

"I guess I should get ready then." John smirked.

Dave chuckled, "do you need some help little brother?"

"I think I can manage, but come back in half an hour if I'm not out?"

"Sure thing John." Dave told him leaving the room.

Twenty five minutes later John wheeled himself into the lounge area. He was wearing his dress blues, because he knew that Teyla liked him in them. The rest of the guys were all dressed in black suits, with emerald green waist coats and black bow ties.

John looked around at his friends and family and thought what a lucky man he was. They left Dave's quarters heading for the gate room ten minutes before the ceremony was supposed to start. Ronan and Torren headed off to join the girls, as Ronan was giving Teyla away and Torren was going to walk down the aisle next to Maddie.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John was amazed by what he saw upon entering the Gateroom. The gate had been taken off line for the duration of the ceremony. In front of the Gate there was a wire arch, it was covered by Athosian lilies on one side and lilies from earth on the other side, in the centre there was a row of red roses to signify the love of two people from separate worlds.

On the gate room floor there were chairs set up with an aisle down the middle. Silk bows were connected to two rows of ribbons strung down the aisle.

John looked back at the gate and realised that General O'Neil was standing in front of the gate waiting for him.

Dave and Carson helped John up the steps to the gate; a chair was up there in case John needed to sit down during the ceremony.

"Jack it's good to see you." John greeted him with a handshake.

"How are you feeling John?" Jack asked him, returning the hand shake.

"A little nervous, I 'm afraid I'm going to mess this up and I don't mean the wedding ceremony."

"You'll do fine John. Anyone can see that Teyla loves you for who you are, so my advice to you is to just keep being you."

"Thanks Jack."

Carson came up behind him and held on to his arm, "John can you sit down until the ceremony? Then you can stand."

John allowed Carson to help him sit down and then he looked around at the gateroom, it was filling up fast. Woolsey and Sam were in the front row along with Lorne, Radek, Caleb and Marie. Most of the chairs were filled, as he looked at his brother next to him, with Rodney standing next to Dave and Carson standing next to Rodney, he smiled. These were his family and friends and they were here with him on his wedding day.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Ronan entered Teyla's apartment and was amazed at the sight of Amelia dressed, so beautifully. He was used to seeing her in sparing clothes or her work uniform, so she took his breath away.

The bride's maid's dresses were made of emerald green satin. They were long and straight and had a slit up the side. They had thin straps on the shoulders and were low cut in the bodice. The girl's hair was piled on top of their heads in a bun with wispy curls hanging down the side.

Ronan kissed Amelia on the lips and told her, "You look amazing."

Amelia blushed. "Thank you."

"Where's the bride?" Ronan asked.

"Jennifer and Jeannie are in with her, they'll be out in a minute."

At that moment, Torren squealed. "Maddie"

Torren ran over and grabbed Maddie's hand; he led her to some toys in the corner. The children sat down together and started to play.

In Teyla's bedroom Jennifer and Jeannie were just putting the finishing touches to Teyla's hair and makeup.

"Teyla have you heard of the tradition, something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue?" Jeannie asked.

Teyla shook her head and Jeannie had to explain. "Well it brings luck on your wedding day if you follow the poem."

"My engagement ring is something old." Teyla suggested. "My new white panties and bra are my something new, but I don't have anything borrowed for blue."

Jeannie handed her a blue garter. "What am I supposed to do with this?" She asked looking confused.

"You put it on your leg and at the end of the night the groom is supposed to take it off with his teeth. Then you throw it for all the single women in the room to catch, whoever catches it is the next to get married."

Teyla blushed. "Thank you, Jeannie."

Teyla put the garter on and hugged Jeannie. Amelia walked in the room as they pulled apart, to tell her that Ronan was here and wanted to have a word with her.

Ronan walked in as the others left the room.

"You look amazing Teyla." Ronan told her, his face full of pride.

"Thank you Ronan."

Ronan sat down on the bed and took her hand, Teyla sat next to him and then he spoke. "Teyla, you know you're the closest thing I have to a sister right?"

When Teyla nodded he continued on. "I just want you to know how proud I am of you today and for you to know that no matter what happens I will always be here for you. John is a good man and I'm so happy the two of you have decided to share your life together. Good luck today."

He kissed her on the cheek and helped her up. "Are you ready?"

When Teyla nodded he helped her up and they headed out of the door. Within two minutes the wedding party was ready to go.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A quiet hush came over the gate room when the wedding march began to play; Teyla had decided for the traditional earth music, as she wanted this to be as close to a traditional earth wedding as possible.

Dave helped John stand up and they looked down towards the steps leading to the control room with anticipation.

"Maddie entered first holding Torren's hand. They both looked amazing, Torren had on a little suit identical to the ones that the groomsmen were wearing. Maddie's dress was white satin flared at the bottom with a sash tied into a bow at the back of the waist, the sleeves were capped and she had white stockings on with white buckled shoes.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs Maddie let go of Torrens hand and started throwing rose petals on the floor, out of a basket that she carried on her arm.

The maid of honour came next; Jennifer looked amazing in her emerald green dress Rodney thought.

Next came Jeannie and finally came Amelia.

Once everyone was down the aisle and Maddie had gone to Caleb and Torren was with Sam, everyone stood up.

John sucked in a breath and would have fallen over if Dave hadn't grabbed him and steadied him in time. What he saw was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Teyla was dressed in a cream dress, it was made of the most beautiful satin, it was tight fitting to the waist, it was slightly flared at the bottom and its length fell to the floor. It had a sweetheart neckline and capped sleeves. There was beading around the bodice down to the waist. Her hair was piled on the top of her head with wispy curls down the side.

John watched in awe as Ronan walked her down the aisle. When they arrived next to John, Ronan placed Teyla's hand in his with a smile.

"You look beautiful." John whispered.

Jack looked at him and began.

"We are gathered here today in this place, to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony. Marriage is a commitment that should not be entered into lightly, so if anyone has just cause to believe that this man and this woman should not be joined, speak now or forever hold you peace."

Everyone looked around the room, when no one answered within a minute Jack continued.

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

Ronan stood up and answered. "I am honoured, to do so."

Jack continued, "Sam will now read a passage from the bible, that Teyla has chosen."

Sam stood up next to Jack and began to read.

"_Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, It does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects always trusts, always preserves._

_Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child. I though like a child, I reason like a child when I grew, I put away my childish ways behind me. Now we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known._

_And now these three remain; Faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love._

This reading is from 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verse 4 to 13."

Sam sat down and Jack continued. "I have had the privilege of knowing John for over six years now and I know that this passaged typifies his love for Teyla. He is loyal, self-sacrificing, and patient and he is always looking for the truth.

It has also been my privilege to getting to know Teyla over the last four or five years and this passage also, typifies her love for John. She is patient, kind, gentle, and extremely slow to anger.

Over the last few years it has been my privilege, to watch their love for one another grow.

Not only has their love for each other grown, but John has come to love Teyla's son Torren, as his own, so it is also with great honour that after the ceremony I will be presenting John with the adoption papers which, make John officially Torren's father."

There was applause all round and from the chair John was sitting in his eyes lit up. He had sat down earlier, because his stomach and knees were really beginning to hurt.

"Teyla and John have written their own vows for this occasion. Teyla would you like to go first?" Jack asked her.

John went to stand up, but Teyla shook her head to indicate that he should remain sitting.

Teyla knelt before him and held his hand. "John I have loved you ever since I met you and to finally be here with you, is a dream come true for me. You are the love of my life and I promise that I will be beside you through the good times and the bad, in sickness and health and I pray that our lives are long, as I intend to stay by your side for ever."

John insisted that he stand on his feet to speak his vows, so Dave and Teyla helped him to his feet. John held Teyla's hand and looked into her eyes. "Teyla I have loved you since we first met, I didn't act on that love for a long time, because in the past I have been lousy at expressing my emotions. With your help I'm getting better and I want to continue telling and showing you how much I love you in the future. Teyla I can't live or breathe without you and I promise that I will be beside you through the good times and the bad, in sickness and health. I pray that even death will not part us, as I intend to be by you side forever." There were tears in both their eyes, by the time he had finished.

Jack stood up. "This couple have vowed to live together, as husband and wife. They will seal that proclamation with the giving and receiving of rings."

"John, will you go first?"

Dave gave John the ring for Teyla and steadied him, to keep him on his feet.

"Teyla, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and fidelity to you. All that I have and all that I am is yours." John slid the ring onto Teyla's finger with a huge smile.

Dave gave Teyla the ring and Teyla looked John in the eyes and spoke.

"John, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and fidelity to you. All that I have and all that I am is yours." Teyla slid the ring onto John's finger and a smile lit up her face.

"We will be heading off to the side to sign a marriage certificate, while we do so a string quartet made up of people from Atlantis will play for you." Jack explained to the audience.

Dave stood one side of John and Teyla stood the other, they helped him shuffle across to the other side of the platform and sit down; it was obvious that he was in great pain.

John was the first to sign the papers, followed by Teyla. Once Teyla and John had signed, Dave signed, followed by Jennifer, and then by Jack.

Jennifer whispered in John's ear before he stood up. "Are you sure you're okay John?"

"I'll sit down once the ceremony is over and then you can give me a once over and some pain meds." John whispered.

Jennifer nodded and Dave and Teyla helped him to his feet. They shuffled over to the front of the stargate with Jennifer walking a few steps behind, just in case.

Jack looked at John and Teyla and spoke. "By the power vested in me, by the air force and Stargate command. I now pronounce you husband and wife." He looked at John and raised his eyebrow. "You many now kiss your bride."

John leant down and pulled Teyla in for a kiss. She responded passionately. At that moment they were the only two people in existence.

The crowed erupted in applause and they pulled apart. "Ladies and gentlemen let me introduce to you Colonel John and Mrs Teyla Sheppard."

**TBC…**

**I've had to split the wedding and wedding reception into two chapters. It would have been too long otherwise.**


	20. Chapter 20:The wedding reception

**Chapter 20: The Wedding reception.**

"_Ladies and gentlemen let me introduce to you Colonel John and Mrs Teyla Sheppard."_

The crowd erupted in applause again and suddenly John felt wiped, he really had to sit down.

Carson placed a chair behind him and then knelt in front of him. "Are you okay son?"

"We're not doing this here Doc."

Woolsey came up at that moment. "I will instruct people to head to the mess hall for afternoon refreshments and then you can use the conference room okay?"

"That sound great, thanks Richard?" John told him, the pain evident in his eyes.

Woolsey got to his feet and addressed the milling crowd. "Can everyone start heading to the mess hall for afternoon refreshments, you'll have the opportunity to congratulate the bride and groom a little later. Thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter."

Once the crowd had dissipated there were only, Teyla, Carson, Jennifer and Dave surrounding John. Carson and Dave helped John into his wheelchair and then they headed to the conference room. Luckily there was a transporter nearby, so there was no need to get him up the stairs.

When they had entered Carson thought the door closed, so they could have some privacy. John doubled over and would have fallen out of the wheelchair if it wasn't for Dave's quick reflexes.

"John, are you okay, what's happening?" Jennifer asked, grabbing his wrist and taking his pulse.

"I suddenly feel terrible Doc."

"What hurts lad?" Carson asked, with concern.

"My stomach hurts, really bad Doc"

They managed to lay him on the floor and pull up his shirt. Carson had good look and sighed at what he saw. "You've managed to pull quite a few of your stitches. We'll have to take you to the infirmary and stitch you up again. I want you to remain there until the pain subsides. Do you understand?"

"Doc, what about our wedding photos and our wedding reception?"

"One hour John and then you can have your photos taken and you will be sitting in a wheelchair for the rest of the evening." Carson told him forcefully.

John looked at him with his best puppy dog eyes. "Doc I need to be on my feet."

"This isn't a bloody negotiation son. This is your health were talking about. One hour in the infirmary and then the wheelchair. That is my final offer. Take it or you'll be in the infirmary all night."

"You drive a hard bargain Doc."

"Now let us help you to get in the wheelchair and I'll take you to the infirmary and get you fixed up." Carson suggested.

Ronan came in before they had a chance to help him up. A little voice spoke from behind him. "Daddy okay?"

When Torren saw John lying on the floor he rushed over and Knelt beside him.

"Don't worry, T.J Daddy is still feeling very tired from all his boo boos. I'm just going to the infirmary and having a lie down for an hour."

John looked at Teyla. "Why don't you go and start having some photos taken with your bride's maids. When I'm feeling better, I'll join you okay?"

Teyla held his hand and spoke. "If that is what you wish."

He nodded his head and looked at Jennifer as well. "You should go with her Doc; I'm sure between Carson and Dave they can look after me."

Dave nodded and Carson told them to go. Once everyone except Carson and Dave had left the room, they helped John back into his wheelchair and pushed him towards the infirmary.

Arriving in the infirmary they headed to John's private room. Carson collected some supplies on the way. They helped John on to the infirmary bed and Carson lifted his top up and restitched his wound.

Once he was settled, Carson put and IV in his hand.

"Hey Doc, what's this for?" John grumbled.

'I'm putting some fluids into you, you're still a bit pale and dehydrated." Carson explained.

"Now lay back and try and get some rest." Carson told him, injecting some pain medication into his IV.

John closed his eyes and within five minutes he was asleep.

"Was he this difficult as a kid?" Carson asked Dave.

"When mum was alive he always used to admit it, when he was in pain or sick, but after she died, he would never talk about it. Dad always used to tell him to buck up and carry on.

I remember one time when he was fifteen, he had a bad cough, Dad told him to man up and quit complaining, when he mentioned that he felt terrible. When he didn't come down to breakfast the next morning I knew something was wrong, Dad had already gone to work, so I went up to look in on him and found him having a seizure. His temperature had risen to 106 overnight and he'd developed pneumonia. I asked Josie our housekeeper to call an ambulance and he spent the next week in hospital recovering.

Dad never spoke of it again and neither did John. All I know is that ever since Mom died, he's never told anyone when he's injured or in pain."

"That would explain a lot." Carson commented.

Carson cleaned his things up and Dave sat next to John's bed. This was supposed to be John's wedding day and here he was stuck in the infirmary again.

An hour later when John awoke Carson was by his bedside, looking serious.

"Hey Doc, how long was I out." John muttered.

"About an hour, laddie."

"Great can I get dressed and go to my wedding reception now?"

"We need to talk John." Carson told him, looking concerned.

"I'm not going to like this am I Doc?"

Carson shook his head and continued. "Do you remember when you were all infected with a pathogen, after Michael's lab collapsed on you?"

"How could I forget Carson, I had thirty tons of rubble fall on top of me and a piece of rebar stuck in my side."

"Do you remember what happened to Jennifer shortly afterwards?"

John glared at him, "what's your point Doc?"

"Well you risked your life to test the cure, which ultimately saved her life. But did you stop to think, at the time the cure came from Michael's research? Did you stop to think of how many people had suffered to come up with that research?"

"Your point, being?" John spat out, his anger rising.

"Atlantis really needs you back on active duty, as soon as possible. We're heading back to Pegasus in a week's time and you're the best person to fly Atlantis there. I want you to consider using the Iratus compound to speed up your recovery time. Dr McKnight feels that used in conjunction with your knee surgery, you'll be back on your feet within two weeks of your operation, with minimal physical therapy as well.

I know that you were experimented on against your will, but why don't you let some good come out of it. This compound could really be used to save lives. I'm positive, if there had been another way you would have gladly risked you're life to save others through this research."

John sighed. "You're probably right, but can I give it some more thought while I go to my wedding reception?"

"Aye lad, let me know tomorrow what you decide? I'm going to inject a pain killer into you wound again and then you can get dressed and we'll go and have some photos taken."

"Thanks Carson, you're a good friend."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

About half an hour later they found the girls, finishing up their photos on the balcony overlooking San Francisco bay. The Golden Gate Bridge was in the back ground.

Torren bounded up to John and crawled onto his lap.

"Daddy." He yelled, into John's ear.

"Hey pal, there's no need to deafen me."

"Let's get a photo of the Sheppard family together?" Lt Jenkins suggested, with excitement in his voice.

Teyla came and stood next to John and Torren stayed sitting in his lap. They had the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay behind them. It made a great picture.

"Now I want Mr Sheppard to join the family and we'll take another photo." Lt Jenkins instructed.

Dave went and stood on the other side of John and the photo was taken.

This went on for the rest of the afternoon. There were photos taken of the bride and groom on their own, photos taken of the groomsmen and photos taken of the bride's maids and groomsmen together. There were photos taken of the bride with the groomsmen and the groomsmen together and then finally one with the whole wedding party together. One was even taken of Maddie and Torren together.

Finally the photos were finished and John felt tired again. He refused to let it show though, because the last thing he wanted was to end up in the infirmary again.

Teyla could read John like a book and took pity on him. "There's half an hour before we have to be in the mess hall, would you like to have a lie down?"

"Thanks Teyla that would be a great idea."

She wheeled him towards the apartment. Once inside John took of his shoes and lay on the bed for a sleep, Teyla curled up next to him. They set an alarm to wake them in half an hour's time and quickly fell asleep.

Half an hour later when the alarm went off, Teyla managed to rouse herself out of her slumber, shaking John she managed to wake him as well.

"Is it time to get up already?" John mumbled barely awake.

"Sorry my love, but we have to head for the mess hall now."

All of a sudden John looked round in a panic. "Where's Torren."

"It's okay John, he's with Ronan and Amelia."

"Okay I guess we should go then." John suggested.

Twenty minutes later they arrived at the mess hall doors. The bridesmaids and groomsmen went in first. The MC announcing them, as they entered.

Finally Lorne announced their names. "And finally Introducing, Colonel John and Mrs Teyla Sheppard."

The entered the mess hall to the cheers of the waiting guests. They both blushed and went to sit down at the head table. Jennifer sat next to Teyla and Dave sat next to John.

The hall was decorated in Athosian lilies and earth roses. There was on long table set up on the wall opposite the door; where the bridal party sat with the bride and groom. Next to the head table was a table with the wedding cake. Along one side; the side that was overlooking the ocean, was a long buffet style serving station. In the middle of the floor a dance floor had been set up with a DJ at the end. Around the dance floor tables were set up. Each table seated eight people.

Jack and Sam were looking after Torren for the evening and Maddie was with Caleb.

Lorne; who was the MC, stood up and announced that dinner was ready and that they could help themselves, once the bridal party had got their food.

Dave looked at John. "Would you like me to get you something to eat?"

Jennifer did the same for Teyla.

They had chosen a buffet style meal, so that as many people as possible could attend the wedding. The food consisted of all the regular dishes that were served on Atlantis on a daily basis. General O'Neill and stargate command had also provided plenty of alcohol for the occasion.

John and Teyla were in the midst of a quiet conversation when people started to bang their glasses with their spoons.

Lorne stood up and addressed the bride and groom. "You guys know what that means don't you?"

Teyla looked at him oddly, so John leant over and whispered in her ear. A smile spread across her face and she brushed her lips against his. He kissed back more forcefully and the crowd erupted into applause.

John and Teyla continued and Lorne stood up again. "That's enough for now guys."

John and Teyla pulled apart and continued to look into each other's eyes. The meal continued and the guests began to come up and congratulate the couple.

"Congratulations, I always knew you would get together." Radek told them shaking John's hand and kissing Teyla on the cheek."

"Congratulations, you look very happy together and I hope you have a long and happy marriage." Dr McKnight said, shaking John's hand and gently touching Teyla's hand.

"About time you two got together." Marie told them, giving them both a hug.

Sam came up and hugged Teyla while Jack slapped John on the back. "Welcome to the club guys, I hope you'll be as happy as Sam and I are." Jack told them, and grabbed Sam's hand.

"Congratulations." Sam told them.

This went on for the rest of the meal. There were people that John and Teyla barley knew offering their congratulations. They were beginning to grow weary when Lorne stood up and announced that it was time for the speeches.

"Now we've come to the time in the evening, where we honour the bride and groom with speeches. The first person to speak will be the best man, John's brother David Sheppard."

Everyone cheered as David stood up.

"Hi, as Evan just told you, I'm John's brother, what many of you don't know is that John and I didn't speak to each other for almost five years. We reconnected at our father's funeral almost two years ago now; at that point we began to build a relationship again, which has been difficult, as John has been living in another Galaxy until recently. I only became aware of this a month ago, when my company was approached to do some work for the Stargate program. We have spent quite a bit of time getting to know each other over the last few weeks, unfortunalty it hasn't all been good. John I just want you to know how proud I am of the man you have become.

In the last few weeks, I've gained a sister and a nephew as well, it has been wonderful getting to know you Teyla and Torren as well. I can't think of two people who are better suited to each other. I love you both and I wish you, every happiness for the future."

Dave sat down and the crowd applauded again.

Lorne stood up again. "Now it's time for the Maid of Honour, Dr Jennifer Keller to make her speech."

Jennifer stood up and looked at the couple. "I came to Atlantis three years ago now. At first it was overwhelming, and then Teyla befriended me. She showed me around within the first week and shared many meals with me. Eventually she introduced me to her team and I met Colonel Sheppard. I didn't know what to make of him at first, he was very professional when he was working, but when he was off duty, he acted like a big kid."

Everyone had to laugh at that comment and John looked a bit embarrassed.

Jennifer continued. "In the last couple of years these two have become some of my closest friends." She looked at them both. "I love you both and wish you every happiness in the future."

Jennifer sat down and everyone cheered.

Before Lorne had a chance to say anything Ronan stood up. "I'm Ronan. I gave Teyla away this afternoon, so I'm supposed to be the father of the bride. Teyla doesn't have a father, so she asked me to give her away. Teyla and John I want you to know that you are my best friends and I am glad that you have decided to share your life together. Teyla you're like a sister to me, so if you ever need someone to talk to I'll be there for you and Sheppard if you ever do anything to hurt her, I'll take you down to the gym and kick your butt."

Everyone chuckled, as Ronan sat down.

Lorne stood up and spoke to Ronan. "Thank you for that speech Ronan?" He continued on speaking to the whole room. "I want to raise a toast to the bride and groom and wish them a long and successful marriage." He raised his glass and the rest of the room raised their glasses as well.

John and Teyla had hardly drunk anything all night. John hadn't, because he was on pain medication and Teyla, because she still didn't feel 100% well.

"Now it is time for the bride and groom, to have their first dance. Once the bride and groom have had their dance, the bridal party will join them. After the song 'My heart will go on' has finished, the dance floor will be open to everyone."

As the music started to play, Carson and Teyla helped John shuffle to the dance floor.

Teyla held John's shoulders and placed her forehead close to his. While looking in his eyes she told him, "just hang on to me."

John put his hands on her shoulders and placed his forehead close to hers, they stood there like that for the entire song barley moving. People joined them on the dance floor and they didn't notice. For the entire song they were the only two people in the world.

The song finished and Ronan cut in, "may I have this dance Teyla."

Teyla nodded and held on to Ronan. Dave and Carson took hold of John and helped him back to his seat.

As John sat and watched Teyla dance Carson asked him, "are you okay John?"

"I'm fine Doc. I just need to sit down for a while and then when we cut the cake I'll need to be on my feet."

"Are you in any pain?" Carson asked him, with concern.

"Doc I said I was fine." John told him forcefully.

Carson backed off at that point and just sat next to John looking on.

"Doc I don't need a baby sitter go and enjoy yourself." John told him, with a twinkle in his eye.

"Great I think I'll ask that wee lassie Marie to dance."

John smiled. "Enjoy."

John watched people dance for the next half an hour; he was really enjoying himself when Teyla came back and sat next to him.

"How are you Honey?"

"I'm having a really great time sweetie. Just look at Torren and Maddie trying to dance? They've been hanging out together all evening."

"I know they seem to be enjoying each other's company."

They didn't have a chance to comment further, as Lorne stood up and spoke. "Now it's time for the cutting of the cake. Can the bride and groom could make their way over, to the cake table please?"

Carson and Teyla helped John stand up and shuffle over to the wedding cake. Carson let go and Teyla held on to John.

The cake which was made by Corporal Higgins was a three tear traditional fruit cake. The cakes were square and the icing was white with pale peach piping around the edges. The pillars in between the tears were champagne glasses and on the top stood a figure of an air force officer and his bride.

They were given a knife. They grabbed it together and cut the cake. The crowd cheered and applauded and John and Teyla's lips met. They pulled apart and went to sit down.

The cake was cut up and the guests were invited to go and help themselves to a piece. Carson brought Teyla and John a piece each. As he put the plates down he noticed that John's eyes were drooping and there were pain lines around his eyes.

"John I think it's time for you to go to bed." Carson told him, grabbing his hand and taking his pulse.

John looked at him. "I'd have to agree with you Doc."

Carson walked over to Lorne and whispered in his ear. Lorne nodded, stood up and grabbed the microphone. "It's getting late and the bride and groom are about to leave, but first Teyla is going to throw her garter, so If you're a single lady and you'd like to get married, come onto the dance floor now."

Teyla turned her back to the dance floor and threw the garter over her head. Turning around she saw that Jennifer had caught it.

Jennifer looked at Rodney and blushed. Rodney just looked awkward and embarrassed.

"Congratulations, to Dr Keller. We'll have to keep an eye on you in the future. " Lorne teased. "Now the bride and groom are going to leave, so let's have one last round of applause for Colonel John and Mrs Teyla Sheppard."

The crowd applauded, as John and Teyla left the room.

Carson and Dave met them outside of the mess hall. Dave had Torren with him.

"Torren wanted to say goodnight." Dave told them.

Torren climbed on John's lap, "nigh, Daddy I luh ya."

"Goodnight Pal I love you too."

Torren held up his arms for his mother and Teyla picked him up. Good night my darling I will see you in the morning. I love you."

"Luh ya too momma." Torren told her, hugging her around the neck.

Dave took Torren from Teyla and said his own goodnights and walked away. Just as Carson was about to wheel John away, Jack came out and handed John some papers.

"The adoption paper's I promised you. Congratulations on officially becoming Torren's Dad. I know you've been doing it for quite a while now, but now it's official."

John shook his hand. "Thank you Jack, I'll see you in the morning before you leave."

Carson spoke up before anyone could say anything else, "now if you don't mind I need to check on my patient and get him to bed."

John just rolled his eyes, as Carson wheeled him away.

Arriving at their apartment John thought the door open and Carson wheeled him down the passage way to his bedroom. "I'm going to give you a slightly stronger pain killer tonight and I expect to see you in the infirmary tomorrow morning."

"Doc it's my wedding night, I need to be alert, so Teyla and I can you know…?"

Carson just laughed. "Lad I don't think you're in any condition for that tonight, give it a few days and I should be able to give you the okay."

"Great I have to get permission from my Doctor to make love to my wife." John muttered.

Carson looked at him and chuckled again. Okay laddie roll up your sleeve and I'll give you a pain killer. I'll leave you two alone then and Teyla can help you change."

Carson injected the pain killer directly into John's arm and said good night. Teyla came in a few minutes later and helped him take his uniform off. He crawled into bed with just his boxer shorts on.

John watched, as Teyla took her dress off. "I wish I could have helped you?" John whispered.

"I will put it on another night when you are feeling better and then you can help me take it off again." Teyla told him, in a sultry voice.

John couldn't help smiling when Teyla was just standing there in her white panties and matching bra and there was certainly something twitching below his waist.

"I think I will go and have a shower now" Teyla told him, heading to the bathroom.

John listened to the shower running, trying hard to stay awake. He lasted about thirty seconds before he fell fast asleep. He didn't hear the shower stop running and he certainly didn't feel his wife climb into bed with him and snuggle close to his chest.

Teyla sighed, as she climbed into bed next to her husband. It had been a wonderful day and she was feeling very tired, but she longed to make love to John. She knew that it wasn't possible for now, so she just had to be content with cuddling up to him.

Laying there listening to his heartbeat she fell into a peaceful sleep.

**TBC…**


	21. Chapter 21: A time for healing

**Chapter 21: A time for healing.**

John awoke the next morning to find that Teyla had one arm over his chest and one arm resting on his inner thigh. He considered waking her, but then decided against it, because he liked where her hand was.

He lay there thinking about the day before, what a fantastic day they'd had and now here he was with his wife lying beside him. He contemplated doing something about it and started to kiss her neck; his hands joined in and started to run over her chest. She groaned and her hands started to move, one stared to stroke his chest and one started to stroke his manhood; which was making his desire known.

Now it was his turn to moan. His lips met hers and their tongues came out to play. John pulled away and whispered in her ear. "I'm not sure we should be doing this. I'm still injured."

"Do not worry I will be gentle." She reassured him, while still stroking his growing erection.

All he could do was lay there and moan as Teyla removed his boxer shorts and rolled him onto his back. She hopped off of the bed and took her own clothes off. John grew even harder seeing her standing there totally naked.

She hopped back on the bed and straddled John and leant forward so that John could take her breasts in his mouth. She stared grinding against his groin, all the while moaning with enjoyment. When she could take it no longer she slid on to him and just stayed there not moving.

"Sweetie you're going to have to speed things up or I may not last much longer."

She started to move slowly at first and then she started moving faster, she'd pull herself off of him and then push herself back down. Eventually she started to shudder and John could see that she was about to go over the edge, so he gave a few more thrusts and she finally reached her climax. A few more thrusts and he shuddered in his own completion.

Teyla lay down on top of him with him still sheathed inside of her.

"Teyla sweetie, as much as I'd like to stay like this all day, you're hurting my wound."

"Sorry Honey." She apologised and pulled off of him.

She lay next to him and cuddled up to him again. "John I love you and I have never felt as satisfied, as I feel when I am with you."

He looked at her stroking her hair. "I love you too sweetie and there's no place I'd rather be, than here with you right now."

He kissed her lips and his hands started to wander again, he felt himself grow hard with desire again.

Teyla kissed him back passionately and her hands started to wander, before they knew what was happening Teyla had straddled him and they were making love again.

When they were totally satisfied, they curled up next to each other and fell asleep again.

An hour later Teyla was awakened by a loud pounding on the door. She slipped out of bed, Careful not to disturb John, as he was still sleeping. Putting on her robe she headed to the front door, she glanced at the clock on her way past the kitchen and saw that it was 9:30.

"Who is there?" She asked.

"It's Corporal Higgins; we thought you might like some breakfast ma'am."

"Thank you Corporal, just leave it by the door."

Once she was sure that he had gone she opened up to door to find trays filled with food, coffee and tea. She brought them inside and put them on the table. Deciding that she'd rather have breakfast in bed she put the food on two tray tables.

Heading for the bedroom with one of the tray's she called out to John "Breakfast is ready; I'm bringing it in now."

John awoke to Teyla's voice; he wondered where she was, because the last thing he remembered was that she was curled up by his side. He smiled remembering that they'd made love twice that morning. He knew he was going to pay for it later though, because already his wound was really starting to ache and he knew that Carson would give him hell about it.

He looked to the door, just as Teyla entered with breakfast.

"Can you manage to sit up honey?"

"Sure if you help me sweetie."

Teyla set the tray table on the dresser and then went over to help him up. When he was propped up on some pillows, she came and placed the tray table over his legs.

"Mmmm bacon and eggs, with hash browns, mushrooms and Tomatoes, with a cup of coffee, a brilliant way to start the day." John explained.

"I'm not really hungry this morning. I think I'll just have some toast and tea." Teyla told him.

"Are you alright sweetie?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I must have eaten too much last night." She lied, she already suspected what her problem was, but she didn't want to tell John until she knew for sure.

"What shall we do today honey?" Teyla asked him.

"I'm due in the infirmary at 1100 hours." He sighed before continuing. "Carson wants me to try the compound that he and Keller synthesised, from the experiment that was conducted on me against my will. I don't know what to do. I really want to get back on my feet and get back to active duty as soon as possible. I need to fly Atlantis back to Pegasus in less than a week and the way I'm feeling right now that won't be happening."

Teyla took his hand and looked him in the eye. "John I know what happened to you was horrible, but you and I both know that you would risk your life willingly to help others. This research may help save many lives and although, it was gained by torturing you. Jennifer and Carson came up with an artificial compound, so that no one will ever have to endure what you did. They can be healed without having to experience what you did. I think you should give it a try."

"I know you're right sweetie, but I will never forget what happened to me."

"No one expects you to forget, you just need to learn to live with happened to you and move on. I am here to help you do that. I love you John and we can face anything, if we face it together.

"Thankyou Teyla for being my wife and I love you too. Now seeing I don't have to be in the infirmary for another 45 minutes. I'm going to sleep again."

"That sounds like a great Idea I think I'll join you."

So that's exactly what they did, they curled up together and went to sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Carson walked into the infirmary to start his shift. His first patient of the day was to be Colonel Sheppard. He had discussed the healing compound with him the day before and he really hoped that he would agree to use it. They were heading back to Pegasus in less than a week and Colonel Sheppard really needed to be as healthy as possible.

"Good morning Doc how are you?" John startled him, with a loud cheerful voice.

"You look happy; did ya have a good rest Colonel?"

"Sure did Doc." He replied, not able to stop grinning.

"Okay lad, hop up on the bed and let me have a look at ya?"

As Carson was helping him on to the bed he noticed the pain lines around his eyes.

"Are ya in pain son?"

"I'm fine." He said, using his standard answer.

"I'll be the judge of that." Carson told him lifting his top up.

"This wound looks red and inflamed, what have you been doing?" Carson asked, forcefully.

"Well let's see, last night was my wedding night. What do you think happened?" John asked him, raising his eyebrow, as a grin crossed his face.

Carson was angry with him. "Colonel I thought I told you _not _to do that!"

"I couldn't help myself there was a beautiful woman lying next to me?"

Carson sighed. "What am I going to do with you Colonel?"

John just shrugged.

Carson decided to change the subject. "Have you given any thought about using the healing compound?"

"Yes, I've decided to go ahead with the treatment. When do we start Doc?"

"We can start right away, if you like. I will need to keep you in the infirmary for twenty four hours, to see if there are any side effects and I want you on complete bed rest for a day or two. Hopefully you should be well enough to do the final checks and preparations for heading back to Pegasus in about three days."

"Will you let Teyla know what's going on please Doc?"

Carson tapped his earpiece. "Carson to Teyla."

"_Yes Carson, I'm here. Is John okay?"_

"Ay lass. I know that it's the day after your wedding and you're not having a honeymoon at this stage, so John and I have decided to go ahead and us the Iratus healing compound on his injuries. I will need to keep him in the infirmary for twenty four hours and after that, he will need to be on bed rest for a couple of days."

"_I will come into see him later. Can I bring Torren in as well?"_

"I will let you know later, Carson out."

"_I'll see you in a few hours, Teyla out."_

Carson walked into the examination room, to see that John was lying down with his eyes closed; Carson suspected that he was still awake, so he spoke to him. "Okay son let's get you settled and then we can get started.

Carson helped John shuffle to his private room in the back of the infirmary and then he handed him some scrubs to put on.

John managed to change quickly and when Carson came back in he was lying on the bed.

"What happens now Doc?" John asked him.

"Well the first thing I'm going to do is take the stitches out of your arm and abdomen. Then I will clean the wounds with antiseptic and then I will inject the compound in to multiple sites around the wound."

"Sounds good Doc, can we get on with it?"

"Just remember that this hasn't been tested on a human before. All the simulations we've run, seem to indicate that there will be no problems, but I want you to tell me if you feel any pain or discomfort, okay?"

"Just do it." John told him, with impatience in his voice.

"I'll be back in about twenty minutes, I have to organise my things and I want Jennifer to help me."

"See you soon then Doc." John told him, before lying back on the bed and closing his eyes again.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla dressed herself and headed back to Dave's quarters to collect Torren. She had no idea what she was going to do today. She had wanted to spend it with John alone in their quarters, but now he was in the infirmary again.

Knocking on the door she waited for Dave to answer. She was lost in her thoughts when he answered.

"Good afternoon Teyla, where is John today?" Dave greeted her.

"He's back in the infirmary. Doctor Beckett is going to use the healing compound on him, so he'll be in the infirmary for the next twenty four hours."

"Do you want to take Torren to the park this afternoon? He's been telling me how he wants to see the ducks again." Dave suggested.

"Where Daddy?" A little voice asked from behind the door.

"Uncle Carson has him in the infirmary, his boo boos are still not better and Uncle Carson wants to keep him there for another day."

"Me see him?" Torren asked, using his best puppy dog eyes.

"Uncle Carson said that we can go and visit him later, so until then would you like to go to the park with Uncle Dave and me?"

Dave knelt down to look at the boy. "Maybe we could feed the ducks. Would you like that?"

Torren nodded.

Twenty minutes later they were in the boats heading for San Francisco.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Carson arrived back at John's bedside exactly twenty minutes after he had left. Jennifer followed behind him with a tray of instruments.

"Are you ready laddie?"

As ready as I'll ever be." John told him.

Carson and Jennifer set to work unbandaging the wounds of John's abdomen and arm. They then proceeded to take the stitches out.

"This wound on his abdomen looks a little inflamed. How did this happen?" She asked, with concern.

Carson looked at John and smiled. John just blushed. "You really don't want to know Doc." John told her.

Now it was her turn to blush. "Ohhh."

They worked for ten minutes taking out the stitches and then they bathed the wounds in antiseptic.

Once that was finished, Carson announced. "We will start with your arm; just let me know if you feel any pain."

Carson injected the compound directly into the healing wound. He picked up another syringe and injected it into the same wound in a different place.

"How does that feel Laddie?"

"It's just a bit tingly Doc."

"Okay let's try it on the other wound then." Jennifer suggested.

They did the same on the wound on his abdomen and then bandaged them up again.

"What shall I do now Docs' I'm bored already?"

"I'll have your laptop sent down to you, so you can work or play games." Carson suggested.

"In the meantime, I'll lie here and stare at the ceiling." John told him, sarcastically.

"Cheeky bugger." Carson replied patting him on the shoulder, as he walked out of the room.

"I'll be into check on you in a while." Jennifer told him and smiled.

John lay back in his bed and closed his eyes again. I'm going to have to stop sleeping as much, he thought.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was sunny and warm when Dave and Teyla stepped off the boat. Dave picked Torren up and lifted him out as well. They headed down to the park where they had rested the last time they were in San Francisco.

Arriving at the park they put down the picnic rug that they'd brought and sat down on it. Torren was about to toddle of when Teyla spoke.

"Torren stay near us. You must not feed the ducks unless Uncle Dave or I am with you okay?"

Torren nodded and sat on top if his Uncle Dave waiting for instructions, while Teyla sorted out some potato chips for them to eat.

While they were sitting there eating. Teyla asked Dave, "What are you going to do when we go back to Pegasus? You've spent so much time with us over the last couple of weeks."

"There's something I've wanted to ask you, but we need to wait until Torren's asleep, as I don't want him hearing."

She nodded and turned to watch her son picking daisies a few feet away.

"Hey T.J., do you want to feed the ducks now?" Dave asked him standing to his feet.

He nodded and went to hold Dave's hand. They walked hand in hand over to the duck pond. Dave had some old bread to give the ducks in his other hand.

They sat down on the edge of the pond and Dave gave Torren a piece of bread. He showed him how to tear it up and throw it to the ducks.

Torren squealed, as he watched the ducks pick up the bread and eat it. "Ducky eat, Ducky eat."

"Yes they must be hungry; look there's more coming this way. They must know you have food." Dave explained to the boy.

Teyla sat on the picnic rug watching them. Dave would make such a good father, she thought. I hope that he can find someone to spend his life with the way I have John.

She lay back on the rug in the sunshine thinking about her husband. It felt good to finally call John her husband. This was the last thought she had before drifting off to sleep.

She was awakened a short time later by a little boy jumping on her. "Wake up Momma."

"I am awake sweetheart, but I think it's about time for you nap."

"I tired." Torren told her lying down beside her and grabbing the toy plane, that he had brought with him. John had given him the plane, along with a stuffed bunny for his first birthday.

Torren lay down and placed his thumb in his mouth, while Teyla started to rub his back. In no time at all, the little boy fell asleep.

"Teyla now that Torren is asleep I want to ask you something?"

"Go ahead Dave I am listening."

Dave took a deep breath before talking. "The IOA has asked me to stay on Atlantis and head back to Pegasus with you. They want someone to keep a close eye on the budget, to see where their money is being spent and to see if it's justified."

Teyla looked shocked. "Have you accepted?"

"No, I wanted to run it by John first. Do you think John would want me on Atlantis?"

"I cannot answer that Dave. You will have to ask him yourself."

"How would you feel with me on Atlantis Teyla?"

"I would be absolutely delighted, as I have really enjoyed getting to know you over the last few weeks. I know that Torren would love to have his uncle Dave around as well."

"I will ask John when he is out of the infirmary."

"Dave, I know that John has really enjoyed getting to know you over the last couple of weeks, even if it has not been under the best of circumstances. I believe you do not need to worry."

"Thanks Teyla."

They sat there for a few minutes, before Teyla looked towards the bay. "I have a feeling that something is wrong with John and we must get back to Atlantis right away."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Rodney was in his lab when his com activated for the third time in an hour.

He tapped his earpiece. "What do you want Colonel?"

"_McKay I'm bored, can't you come down to the infirmary and see me." John whined._

I'm doing some very important work here and right now I don't have time to Colonel Sit. Where are your wife and brother? Why can't they play with you?"

"_They took Torren into San Francisco to feed the ducks, so now I'm stuck here being bored."_

"Maybe I'll come down in an hour or so."

"_Come on McKay, can't you spare a few minutes for your best friend. Please, Please." John started to beg._

Rodney sighed. "Give five minutes and I'll be down there, I'll bring the chess board, McKay out."

_I'll get ready to beat you, Sheppard out."_

Rodney wandered into the infirmary five minutes later; he passed Carson on the way to John's room.

"Have you come to keep the big kid occupied?" Carson asked.

"He practically begged me to play with him, how can I refuse a begging Sheppard."

"Well, I'm glad you're here, he's been driving my staff crazy."

"I bet he has." McKay told him as he headed to John's private room.

He arrived just in time to see John's muscles begin to shake and his back arch of the bed and then he started to scream in agony.

Rodney pressed the buzzer and called down the passageway, "Carson get you butt in here now, he's having some kind of seizure."

Carson came running followed by Keller. "He seizing!" Keller shouted. "Get me 20 mills of Lorazepam?" She injected the anticonvulsant into his IV and the convulsions ceased.

John was still moaning in agony and he looked up at Carson, silently pleading for him to do something about the pain.

A few seconds later he slipped into unconsciousness.

"Carson, what the hell happened?" Rodney asked, the worry evident in his voice.

"I have absolutely no idea." Jennifer told him, while checking his vitals.

"He seems stable for now. I think we should hook him up to a heart monitor and get an IV started." She suggested.

"Aye I agree." Carson responded and left to get an IV kit.

Teyla came rushing through the door just as Carson was leaving. "What's happened is John alright?"

Jennifer took her hand and led her to John's bed. "He's had some kind of reaction to the compound. We don't know whether it's an allergic reaction or whether everyone will react the same way. We'll be running some tests, to see what we can find."

"Can I sit with him?" Teyla asked."

"Go ahead, I'll just take some blood samples and then I'll be out of your hair." Jennifer told her.

"I'll head back to my lab." Rodney told her with a shaky voice.

Teyla stood next to John's bed and kissed his cheek, before brushing a few stray hairs back from his face. She then sat down and held his hand. Why are we here again she thought? Will he ever get better, so that we can live a normal life? Laying her head down on the side of the bed she drifted off to sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John was fighting the darkness, yet again. Why did he feel so numb this time and why was he in this eternal darkness. Seeing light up ahead he decided to try and follow it, but then he remembered the incredible agony he'd been in before he found himself in the darkness. Did he want that pain again? He was undecided what to do, until he heard a gentle voice calling to him, he followed the voice and opened his eyes.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla woke up with her head on John's hand; she thought that she felt it twitch. Looking at his face she saw his eyes move beneath his eyelids.

"John, John, it is Teyla can you open your eyes for me."

She tried again, "John can you open your eyes."

Eventually when he managed to open them his hazel eyes were filled with confusion.

"Whaaa…" He slurred.

"I will just go and get Carson and he can explain."

He nodded as she left the room.

"How are you feeling Laddie?" Carson asked, as he entered the room.

"Whaaa… happpennd." He shuddered at the fact that his voice was still slurred.

"Do you remember anything lad?"

"I remember incredible pain and then nothing." He was happy to see that his speech had improved.

"We think that you had some sort of reaction to the Iratus compound we gave you, to speed up the healing of your wounds."

"Well I don't feel anything now, everything feels a bit numb. How long was I out?"

"About three hours." Carson told him.

"Well you know what. I feel like going to sleep again." John told him, his eyes drooping.

"Well why don't you go back to sleep and we'll see how you are when you wake up."

"Sounds good." He mumbled, as his eyes closed.

"What does all that mean?" Teyla asked Carson looking confused.

"I have no idea, at the moment." Carson told her, looking just as confused.

Three hours later John awoke again, he was much more coherent this time. He looked across to see that Teyla was sleeping in the chair.

"Teyla." He whispered, no response.

He called a little louder. "Teyla wake up."

Teyla slowly opened her eyes wondering who was calling her; she looked across at the bed and saw John was staring at her.

"John you're awake how do you feel? Are you in any pain?"

"The only pain I feel now is in my knees, I don't feel any pain in my stomach or my arm."

"I will go and get Dr Keller; she wanted to know when you woke up."

Teyla left and came back a few minutes later with Keller in tow."

"How are you Colonel?"

"Other than my knees I feel fine."

"Let me have a look at your arm and your stomach and see how things are."

She pulled back the dressing on his stomach and was amazed by what she saw. The wound was completely gone. There wasn't even a scar. She did the same with the bandage on his arm and there wasn't any indication that there had been an injury there either.

"This is amazing the wounds have completely disappeared." she told them. "I must go and tell Carson."

Jennifer came back a few minutes later with Carson in tow. Carson checked everything again and was just as amazed.

"Okay Doc's if my wounds no longer exist, can I go home now?" John asked, using his puppy dog eyes.

"I'll send you home after breakfast tomorrow if everything seems okay." Carson told him forcefully.

"I'm going off duty now, but Jennifer will be in the office if you need anything." Carson told them.

Once Carson and Jennifer had gone, John looked at Teyla. "Go home and see Torren and get some sleep. I'll still be here in the morning."

"I think I will it has been a long day. Goodnight Honey, I love you."

"I love you too sweetie and I'll see you in the morning."

John watched her leave the room and then lay there thinking about all that had happened since they had been on Earth. I really need a holiday. When my knees are fixed I think I'll take Teyla on a honeymoon; hopefully that will be peaceful and we won't get ourselves into any trouble. Pleasant thoughts of Teyla, Torren and his friends were running around in his head as he drifted off to sleep.

**TBC…**


	22. Chapter 22: Preparing for departure

**Chapter 22: Preparing for departure.**

John awoke slowly the next morning. He'd had a very restful sleep and he felt better than he had for days. He looked around and found Dave sitting beside his bed.

"How are you feeling this morning, little brother?"

"Other than my knees I feel pretty good. Except for the seizure I had, the compound worked pretty well."

"John, there's something I want to talk to you about, if you're feeling up to it?"

John looked at him curiously. "I'm fine, what's going on?"

Dave took a deep breath before answering; he still wasn't sure how John was going to react to his news. Only one way to find out he thought.

"It seems that the IOA want someone on board Atlantis, to keep an eye on all things financial, therefore they have asked me to stay on Atlantis and head back to Pegasus with you."

John stared at him for a few minutes before saying anything. "Will you be working for the IOA?" John asked calmly.

"No I would still be working for Stargate Command. They just want someone in Pegasus to keep an eye on the budget and see where there money is being spent."

John just continued to stare at him, so he continued. "You will still run the military and Richard would still be in charge. I would report to him."

John sat their looking at him for a minute and finally spoke. "What will happen to the business?"

"Well considering we own over 70% of the shares in the business between us, it still belongs to the Sheppard family. Do you remember Chris Larkins?"

John nodded and Dave continued. "Well ever since dad's funeral I have been training him to take over the day to day operations of the business. I have been thinking about working less for quite a while now."

"How will you keep an eye on things from another Galaxy?"

"Chris already knows about the Stargate program, he was one of twenty people in our company who were told. We will keep in touch via email and when the need arises, Stargate command will allow me to gate back to Earth."

John sat there stunned, by what he had just heard. Dave could come to the Pegasus Galaxy. He wasn't looking forward to saying good bye to him in a few days' time, but now he wouldn't have to.

Finally he spoke. "Have you accepted their offer yet?"

"No I wanted to run it by you first. What do you think little brother?"

"I think you should take it. I really wasn't looking forward to saying goodbye to you in a few days' time. I know that Teyla and Torren have loved having you around as well. I'll give you fair warning though, things are dangerous in the Pegasus Galaxy and Atlantis is still at war with the wraith."

"I understand that and in military situations I realise that you are in charge and I will need to listen to you."

John chuckled. "You listen to me there's a first."

They both laughed, before Dave spoke again. "Were going to have to stop having these serious emotional conversations or we may become weak and Dad wouldn't have wanted that."

"You know I really miss him Dave. I wish things could have worked out differently for us."

"I know you do little brother, but I'm so glad that you and I have become brothers again."

"Me too," John told him smiling, before he continued on." Okay enough of that emotional crap. What are you going to do with the house?"

"I've hired a realtor to rent it out. She has been renting out the other houses too, including your house in Maui, so I have a great deal of money to put in your bank account. Let me know the details and I'll make it happen."

"You do know that we don't need money in the Pegasus galaxy don't you?"

"Yes but, if ever you Teyla want to live on earth, or even take a holiday, there is plenty of money for you to do that."

John looked at him and smiled, using his crooked grin. "Thanks Dave."

The conversation was interrupted by Dr Beckett before they could say anything else.

"Good morning lad how are ya this morning?"

"Other than my knees still hurting a bit, I'm feeling fine Doc."

"Let me have a look then son?" Carson started taking off the dressings around his arm and on his abdomen. He then proceeded to poke and prod the areas.

"Colonel, do you feel any pain?"

"No other than you poking and prodding everything feels normal."

"I'll just scan the wound site and double check that everything has healed and then I'll take the stitches out of your knees."

Carson scanned him with the hand held scanner and then announced. "It's amazing. There is no sign of the wounds. It's almost like you were never injured in the first place."

"That's all well and good Doc, but what about the seizure and incredible agony I was in last night?"

"I think we may have given you a wee bit much."

"What the _hell _do you mean a wee bit much?" John asked, his anger beginning to rise.

"I'm sorry John, but we've never tested it before and the dose we gave you was too high. We feel if we halve the dosage, the results will be the same, but it may take a wee bit longer for complete healing."

"Will you still want to use it on my knees?" John asked, his anger subsiding.

"Aye, but that would be up to you."

"I'll let you know Doc."

"Let's get these stitches out of your knees and then you are free to go. Take it easy for a few days and then I'll put you back on light duty, so that you can help prepare to fly Atlantis back to Pegasus."

"Thanks for everything Doc."

After Carson had taken the stitches out of John's knees and bandaged them lightly, Dave handed John his clothes.

Five minutes later Dave was helping John into his wheelchair and was ready to wheel him home.

"See you next time Doc." John said to Carson, as he left the infirmary.

"You know what Dave; you're really going to love it in Pegasus. The people are real friendly; most of them anyway. Maybe we'll have to find you a nice girl to settle down with. Teyla told me how amazing you've been with T.J., so maybe it's time you had a wife and kids and I'd really like a niece or nephew, you're not getting any younger you know."

Dave blushed. "Speaking of Nieces and Nephews, when are you and Teyla going to have more kids? You're not getting any younger either."

Now it was Johns turn to blush. "We haven't really discussed it. I've been pretty busy lately."

"Make sure you do." Dave told him.

The conversation was cut short when they arrived at John's apartment.

"Are you coming in Dave?"

"No I think I'll leave you alone with your family. I'll catch you later John."

As soon as John entered the apartment, Torren came toddling towards him at full speed and then climbed into his lap.

"Daddy home, Daddy home." He chanted.

"Hey pal, how are you?" John asked, hugging him closely.

"I miss ya Daddy."

"I missed you too pal."

Teyla came running out of the bedroom when she heard the voices.

"John you're home." She whispered "How are your wounds?"

"Other than my knees, there's no sign that I was ever injured."

"That's wonderful news. I'm having some lunch sent over, so we can enjoy some time as a family. Did Dave speak to you?"

"Yes. How much do you know about Dave coming to work on Atlantis Teyla?"

"Dave spoke to me yesterday, he wanted to gage how you might react and I told him he'd have to talk to you himself."

Torren was bored with the conversation at this point, so he wondered over to the corner of the room to play with some of his toys.

"I'm actually over the moon. It's been really nice getting to know Dave again over the last couple of weeks and this way we can see each other whenever we want. We have to find him a girlfriend though. The last thing I need is a lonely brother poring his heart out to me." John chuckled at his last comment.

"What is the plan for the next few days honey?"

"Well sweetie, I'm supposed to take it easy and what better way to do that than go to bed." He suggested raising his eyebrow.

"What about lunch." She asked.

"They can leave it outside the door." John announced, taking her in his arms and pulling her onto his lap.

"Well honey there is still an eighteen month old child in the room. What shall we do with him?"

They looked over to the corner and saw that Torren was fast asleep on the mat. He held his stuffed rabbit in one hand and his stuffed plane in the other.

"Could we just leave him there?" John suggested.

Teyla looked at him disapprovingly. "I think I will put him in his bed. I will see you in our bedroom in a minute."

While Teyla picked Torren up and took him to his own room, John wheeled himself into their bedroom, undressed and climbed into the bed with only his boxer shorts on. Teyla came in a short time later and curled up beside him, a short time later they were making love. It was slow and gentle; there was no urgency to it, as they had all the time in the world.

Over the next couple of day's John and Teyla spent quite a bit of time in bed making love. They weren't having a honeymoon in the near future, so they took advantage of the many willing baby sitters on Atlantis, to make sure they had plenty of time to themselves.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

All too soon their down time ended and it was the morning before they were to heading back to Atlantis.

John awoke early, when he looked over at the clock and found that it was only 0500 hours, he considered rolling over and going back to sleep again. He sighed knowing that even if he was to go back to sleep again, he would only get another half an hour or so. Looking over he noticed that Teyla was still asleep, so he decided he would get up and cook them breakfast in their apartment.

He got out of bed trying not to disturb Teyla and found his BDU's and got dressed. He hadn't been in them for a few weeks now, so it felt good to finally be dressed for duty again. It was only light duty, because his knees still weren't fixed, but at least it was something.

After he was up and dressed he shuffled into Torrens room to see if he was awake. Torren wasn't in his bed, so he went looking for him in the lounge area. Sure enough Torren was in the corner playing quietly with some of his toys.

John could see that Torren was about to make a loud noise, so he put his finger up to his mouth and whispered. "Shh, Momma's still in bed. Let's get you changed and dressed for the day and then we can make breakfast for Momma."

Torren nodded and held up his hands for John to pick him up. "Sorry T.J my knees still aren't working properly, so you'll have to walk."

Torren nodded and took hold of his hand and together they shuffled down the passageway, so that John could change his diaper and help him get dressed.

Ten minutes later they were back in the kitchen again. "What do you want for breakfast T.J.?" John asked.

"Pantates."

"Why do I even ask?" John muttered.

"We ave pantates?" Torren asked again.

"You realise that you're beginning to look like pancakes don't you?" John told him, with a twinkle in his eye.

Torren looked at him with a confused look. "Me not pantate, me a boy."

John just laughed and told the boy to sit down at the kitchen table.

"What is this I hear about pancakes?" Teyla asked, as she entered the kitchen.

"Daddy, make pantates." Torren explained.

"Well in that case I think I will go and have a shower and get ready for the day."

Half an hour later, they were sitting eating pancakes as a family.

"What have you got planned for today Teyla?"

"I'm helping Richard welcome the new civilians and we are assigning them quarters. Did you know we have people with children coming with us? There will be some teachers and childcare workers coming with us. It appears that there will be a child care room for us to leave Torren in during the day."

"That is great news Sweetie?"

"What are you going to do today honey?"

"I have a speech to give to the new military contingent this morning. Lorne will then make sure they all have quarters and give them a tour and introduce them to the rest of my senior staff. This afternoon after lunch I need to spend some time in the control chair, to make sure that all the systems are initialised properly."

He looked over at Teyla and realised that she had hardly eaten anything. Looking at her face he thought that she looked a little pale.

"Are you okay Sweetie?"

"I'm not very hungry this morning, for some reason."

"Do you need to see a Doctor?"

"No I'll be okay. If I'm not feeling any better by the time we get to Pegasus, I'll go and see Jennifer."

John nodded, still looking worried. "Well I need to get to my office and get started for the day. Don't worry about tidying up. I'll come by, before I'm due in the chair room and do it."

"I love you both." He told them, kissing Torren on the top of the head and then giving Teyla a lingering kiss on the lips.

"I luh ya Daddy."

"I love you Sweetie."

"I love you too Honey."

Wheeling, himself out of the door he thought, I'm the luckiest man in two galaxies.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was 0800 hours and Lorne arrived in the office that he shared with Colonel Sheppard. He knew that it was going to be a very long day, so he decided to finish up some paperwork. A few minutes later he received a pleasant surprise when the Colonel wheeled himself into the room.

"Should you be here Sir?"

"Yes Major, I'm back on light duty for the next few days, so if you need some help with that paperwork I can help you."

Lorne looked surprised, he knew that Colonel Sheppard hated paperwork and would do anything to get out of it. "Thank you sir. I'm still trying to assign the new marines and air force personnel quarters, if you don't mind helping me with that?"

"Sure no problems show me what you've got?"

"What time are the new troops due in Major?" Sheppard asked, looking up from his paperwork.

"There due in a 1000 hours and then they'll be assigned quarters. The briefing starts at 1100 hours and I'm expecting you at around 11:15 to give your speech Sir."

"Well I really need to be on my feet for that, so make sure you have Ronan there to help me?"

"No problems sir. I have Ronan booked into do some training with some of the Marines after lunch."

"Very good, Major."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla arrived in Woolsey's office at 08:30 to find him hidden behind a wall of paperwork. "Good morning Richard, is there anything I can do to help you this morning?"

"There are civilians due to come through that gate in half an hour and I still haven't finalised these living quarters."

"How about I give you a hand with that?"

"Thank you, Teyla."

They worked in silence for half an hour and by the time the gate activated they had assigned all of the new civilian population quarters.

They headed out to the gate room to meet the new civilians. Woolsey looked at the ordinary people coming through the gate. There were fifty people over all; there were scientists, childcare workers and teachers, cooks, and farmers. There were a few people that would only join the program if they could bring their families with them, so they had ten children coming as well. Woolsey thought that it probably wouldn't be long before the Sheppard's provided Torren with a sibling as well.

Once the gate had shut down Woolsey stood at the top of the stairs and spoke. "I want to welcome you all to Atlantis. My name is Richard Woolsey and I am leader of this expedition. The young woman next to me is Teyla Emmagan-Sheppard. She is my advisor and a trusted diplomat, throughout the Pegasus Galaxy. Each of you has been chosen, because you are the brightest and the best at what you do. If you work hard you will have no problems fitting in here, but remember that we all work together here, Military and civilian side by side. I will not put up with any fighting between the civilian population and the Military neither will Colonel Sheppard, who you will get to meet in a moment.

Woolsey whispered in Teyla's ear. "Do you want to add anything?"

She nodded and spoke. "Welcome to Atlantis, as Richard has told you I am Teyla Emmagan-Sheppard. I am a native of the Pegasus galaxy and have come to work with and trust the people of Atlantis. Atlantis is trusted and respected by many in the Pegasus Galaxy, but there are some that are still weary of us. I hope that you will all be aware of this when you get a chance to meet some of these people."

She looked behind her and saw that John was moving slowly towards her. He looked confident on his feet, but she could see the pain in his eyes.

"It looks like Colonel Sheppard is here to introduce himself."

"Thank you Teyla. I am Colonel John Sheppard and I am the Military commander of this base and second in command, to Richard Woolsey. I want you all to remember that when Atlantis enters Pegasus, it will be entering a war zone. That is why it is imperative that we all get along. If the time comes and one of my officers gives you a direct order, you will need to follow it. That could mean the difference between life and death in Pegasus."

He stepped back and Woolsey stepped forward to finish off.

"Thank you for your attention this morning, there are some marines around the gate room who will show you to your quarters and they will also show you where the mess hall is, so you can eat. You will all be given a tour of the base after lunch.

Woolsey stepped back as the crowd started to break up. "Are you okay Colonel Sheppard?"

"Yes I just need to sit down. I'm due to speak to the troops at 11:15, so I think I'll head back to my office and do some more paperwork."

Teyla helped him back into his wheelchair and wheeled him back to his office. Lorne wasn't there, so John thought do door closed and pulled Teyla into his lap. She started to struggle wanting to get up, but John just held her tighter. When she had finished struggling he pulled her in for a kiss.

"Have I told you how much I love you Mrs Sheppard?"

"Not enough I fear Mr Sheppard." She told him, kissing him passionately.

"That's Colonel Sheppard." He told her, responding to her passion.

A few minutes later Sheppard's com activated. He pressed his earpiece. "Sheppard here."

"_It's Lorne here, I'm just about to welcome the new troops, Mr Woolsey's here and he wants to speak first, so if you come to the control room at about 11:20 with Teyla, I assume she's with you, because I couldn't get into our office."_

John blushed before answering. "I'll see you soon _Major, _Sheppard out." He said emphasising Lorne's Rank.

_Lorne chuckled. "I'll see you then Sir, Lorne out."_

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sheppard entered the control room just as Woolsey was finishing up. "And now I would like to introduce to you your, commanding officer and my second in Command, Colonel John Sheppard."

John walked slowly to the front of the control room. He looked at the faces before him, they all seemed so young. I must be getting old, he thought to himself.

"Welcome to Atlantis. We will be heading back to the Pegasus Galaxy tomorrow and I want each of you to remember that we will be entering a war Zone. Which is why I need everyone to understand that not only are we here to protect the civilian population of this base, we will also be helping to fight the wraith, therefore protecting the people of the Pegasus Galaxy. To do this I will need everyone one of you to make friends with as many of the civilians on this base as possible. We can only hope to win if we are fighting side by side civilian and soldier alike. We're pretty relaxed around here, but if I here of any fights breaking out, you will be disciplined, take my word for it. I will hand you back to Major Lorne now for the rest of the briefing. Thank you."

Lorne stood forward and spoke. "Thank you Colonel Sheppard."

He didn't hear anything else that Lorne had to say, because he was feeling unsteady on his feet by the time he had finished, so he allowed Teyla to help him into his wheelchair and then they headed off the their quarters for lunch.

They were joined in their quarters for lunch by Amelia and Ronan who had been looking after Torren for the morning.

"Hey, Sheppard." Ronan greeted him.

"Hey chewie, can you make sure you don't break any of my marines this afternoon?"

"No promises." He smirked.

Torren climbed into his Daddy's lap when he saw him and stayed there for the entire time that they were eating lunch.

They sat there for about an hour eating sandwiches and talking before it was time to head off for the afternoons activities. Teyla was going to do some work from home for the afternoon, so she could stay and look after Torren.

"I will see you all tonight, for dinner." Teyla said, as she saw them out.

They had invited the entire senior staff over and their friends over for dinner that night. John had asked cooks to make pizzas for them all.

Teyla looked at John with a twinkle in her eye, before he headed out. "Do not worry about the dishes, that you forgot to do, I will do them this afternoon"

"Sorry Sweetie." He told her and then kissed her and Torren before heading to the chair room for the afternoon.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Rodney was already grumbling and moaning when Sheppard wheeled himself into the chair room.

"What's wrong McKay?"

"About time you turned up. Do you know how long I've been waiting here for you?"

"You told me 1300 hours and it's 1259." He told him, looking down at his watch.

"Never mind, now that you're here sit in the chair?"

"You didn't say please." Sheppard quipped.

Rodney was losing patience; he wasn't in the mood to play. "Just sit down?"

"Okay Mr grumpy pants." Sheppard quipped, as he transferred himself to the control chair.

"Now I want you to access the systems, so we can run a diagnostic, to make sure that everything is running normally."

Sheppard leaned back in the chair, closed his eyes and the chair lit up.

"Can you bring up the star drive first and I'll check it?"

Sheppard concentrated on the finding the files for star drive.

"Drones, next?"

This went on for the next two hours. They checked system after system and by the end of it John was asleep in the chair.

Rodney had just finished checking the last system, when he heard a rumbling sound coming from the control chair. Confused, he looked over only to find Sheppard fast asleep and snoring.

He chuckled and yelled at him. "Hey sleeping beauty, time to wake up."

No response, Shepard, just slept on.

Getting closer, he yelled again. "Hey Sheppard, wakey, wakey."

John was startled awake and almost fell out of the chair. "You've no need to yell at me."

"We've finished and it's time to go." He chuckled.

"Well I'll see you for dinner at 1800 hours in my apartment then?"

"Yes I will see you at 6:00." Rodney smirked at him.

John wheeled himself towards his apartment and thought; maybe I have enough time for a sleep this afternoon.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It had been a long day for everyone on Atlantis, but this was their last night on earth, so John and Teyla's friends headed to their apartment for dinner.

Carson was the first to arrive, with a bottle of Scotch whisky to share. Ronan and Amelia arrived next followed by Dave and then Richard. Jennifer and Rodney arrived last with a bottle of champagne.

John looked at the grin on their faces and had to ask. "What are you two grinning about?"

Rodney looked at Jennifer and she nodded. "I've asked Jennifer to marry me and she said yes. We're officially engaged."

"Congratulations guys, how'd he propose Doc, was it romantic?" John asked, a sly grin crossing his face.

"We went out to dinner in San Francisco last night, after we knew that you were going to be okay Colonel."

"Let us have a look at the ring?" Teyla asked and Amelia nodded.

The ring was a diamond solitaire, with a gold band. Teyla looked at it and told Jennifer how much she liked it, but she didn't think it was as beautiful as hers.

John shuffled into the kitchen and poured champagne for everyone. Richard came over and helped him hand them out.

John sat down in a chair and raised his glass for a toast. "I would like to propose a toast to two of my closest friends, Dr Rodney McKay and Dr Jennifer Keller, may you be very happy with one another."

"To Rodney and Jennifer." They all raised their glasses.

Very soon the Pizzas arrived and they all started eating and drinking beer. After dinner John went and put Torren to bed. He read him two bedtime stories and before he'd finished the second one, Torren was out like a light. He looked down at his sleeping son and kissed him goodnight, leaving the room, he closed the door and shuffled to the lounge area.

Arriving back in the lounge room he took a seat. He was getting a bit sick of not being able to walk properly, but he knew that once they'd arrived in Pegasus, he would have his knee surgery and within a few weeks he would be able to walk again. Not much longer now he thought.

They sat there talking late into the night. No one wanted to leave, they all knew that tomorrow they would be heading home and they may not get a chance to be together like this for a while.

Eventually John stood up and made a speech.

"Thank you for coming to share this final night on earth with us. It is very different to that final night on earth; we had before the expedition began almost six years ago now. In those six years I have gained some incredible friends and since we have been on earth I have gained a wife and a son and I have found a brother that I thought that I had lost. Now that were heading home, were heading into the unknown again and I want to thank you all for being the best friends and family that anyone could ever ask for." There were unshed tears in John's eyes by the time he had finished and sat down.

The group all got up to say their goodnights, as they all knew that they had an early start in the morning.

Dave was the final one to leave the room. He knelt in front of John and gave him a big bear hug. "I love you John and no matter what we may face in the Pegasus galaxy, just remember that you will always have a brother."

"Thank you, Dave."

"Gee aren't we becoming emotional in our old age?" John quipped.

They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"I'll see you tomorrow John." Dave said, as he got up to leave.

"Goodnight Dave."

Once Dave had left their apartment Teyla and John headed down the passageway to their bedroom. John checked on Torren on the way and by the time he reached the bedroom Teyla was in bed and fast asleep. He stripped down to his boxer shorts and climbed in and cuddled up to her. Five minutes later he was fast asleep.

**TBC…..**

**Wow, my longest chapter ever.**


	23. Chapter 23: Back to Pegasus

**Chapter 23: Back to Pegasus.**

John awoke early the next morning. Today was the day that they were heading back to the Pegasus galaxy. The Daedalus had been scanning the Pegasus Galaxy for a couple of weeks now, looking for a suitable planet to settle down on. They eventually found one similar to the one that they had left; plenty of oceans and a rather sizable mainland. There were a few tiny islands scattered about as well.

Rolling over he looked for Teyla, only to find that she wasn't in bed with him.

Getting out of and putting on some sweatpants and a t-shirt, he went to look for her. He found her in the kitchen drinking a cup of Athosian tea.

Leaning over to kiss her, he asked. "How are you this morning sweetie?"

"I'm fine." She replied, giving a short answer, she was beginning to sound more like him every day. She certainly didn't look fine, but he thought that he would leave it alone, as she had already promised him, that she would see a Doctor when they arrived in Pegasus.

"I'm heading for the mess hall this morning for breakfast. Will you be coming with me?" He asked her, looking concerned.

"I think I will stay here. Can you take Torren with you; I am sure he wants his daily serve of pancakes."

"No problems I'll go and get him up in a moment." Looking at here pale features, he asked her again. "Are you sure you're okay Sweetie?"

"I am fine John, I think I will go back to bed for a while and then by the time you get back I will be feeling better and I can look after Torren, so that you can fly us home."

"Okay, if you're sure sweetie?"

John wheeled himself back into his bedroom and dressed in his BDU's, he then went into Torren's room and found him lying awake in his bed.

"Good morning T.J. how would you like Pancakes in the mess hall with Daddy today? Momma's going to have a rest and then when we get back from breakfast she'll look after you while Daddy goes to work today."

Torren looked at him and squealed. "Daddy, Pantates."

"Let's get you dressed pal and you can have all the pancakes you want."

John quickly changed Torren's diaper and dressed him. Putting Torren in his lap he wheeled himself out of the room. Checking on Teyla one last time, to make sure she was okay, he left the apartment and headed for the mess hall.

Teyla sighed as she watched her two boys leave the apartment. She felt unwell and she was pretty sure she was pregnant; she knew that she would have to see Jennifer soon and then tell John. Only she didn't know how he would react, they had never seriously discussed having more children and certainly not so soon. She put the thought to the back of her head and went back to bed. John and Torren would be back in an hour and then she would be on the go all day. Closing her eyes she fell asleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

John arrived in the mess hall to find it full. There was a buzz in the air; today was the day that many of these people would be heading out into space for the first time. He sensed their excitement and awe.

Looking around he noticed his friends sitting over at their favourite table overlooking the bay. This would be the last time they would have this particular view, so he headed over to enjoy it with them.

"Good morning everyone" He greeted them putting Torren in his high chair and parking himself next to Jennifer.

"Are you not eating son?" Carson asked him, looking concerned.

"Of course I am, I just haven't got round to getting food yet."

"I'll get you some. What do you want?" Dave offered arriving at the table, his tray laden with food.

"I'll have Pancakes, thanks Dave."

Dave looked at Torren and before he had a chance to ask, Torren gave him his answer. "Pantates Unca Dabe."

They all chuckled, as Dave headed off to the serving table, to collect their food.

John looked up and saw Rodney heading towards him. "Sheppard what are you doing here? We're supposed to be flying home today and you're sitting here relaxing." Rodney ranted.

"Relax darling. It's only 0700 hours and we're not leaving until 1000 hours. Why don't you sit down and have some breakfast?" Jennifer soothed.

"Is it only 0700, I thought it was much later." He told her.

Dave arrived at that moment and deposited the food in front of John and Torren. He took a seat next to John and started to cut of Torren's pancakes for him.

"Where's Teyla this morning John." Dave asked, looking around to see if she was still coming.

"She's not really feeling well this morning." He looked at Jennifer, before he continued on. "In fact she hasn't really been feeling that well lately. She said that she would come and see you, but I don't know that she will, so can you check in on her later?"

"I'll check in on her in a few days, if she hasn't come to see me. I don't think it's anything to serious, but if she gets worse let me know." She smiled, she had a fair idea what was wrong with Teyla, but it wasn't her place to tell him.

Ronan and Amelia wandered over to join them, their trays laden with food.

"Morning Banks, Morning Chewie." John greeted them, with a smile.

"Good Morning." Amelia greeted them and Ronan just grunted.

"Did you injure any of my new marines yesterday?" John smirked.

It was Carson who answered. "No we did not have a single injury all day yesterday."

John chuckled. "There's a first time for everything."

"You haven't been there for a few days Sheppard, so they must have been having a holiday." Rodney snarked.

"Hey." John voiced his disapproval at the comment.

"Rodney that's not nice." Jennifer said and slapped him on his shoulder.

Dave came to the rescue and changed to subject. "What is the plan for today John?"

"I have a meeting with Woolsey and General O'Neill at 0900 and then I'll head to the chair room and we should be leaving about 1000."

"What do we do while Atlantis is flying?" Dave asked him curiously.

"Just go about your normal business. An announcement will be made when we're about to land."

"Will you flying the whole time Colonel Sheppard?" Amelia asked him.

"No, Carson will relieve me, so I can rest at times, but I will be doing the take-off and landing."

John looked down at his watch and realised that it was 0800. "I really need to get going; I want to check in on Teyla, before I meet with Woolsey and O'Neill."

He was about to grab Torren when Dave pushed his hands away. "John, don't worry about Torren. I will look after him for the morning and then I will take him to your apartment later. That way Teyla can rest this morning, if she needs to."

John looked at Torren and asked. "Do you want to stay with Uncle Dave this morning?"

When Torren nodded, he kissed him on the head and turned to Dave. "Thanks' Dave." John told him, and wheeled himself out of the room.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla awoke, suddenly feeling nauseous. She lay still hoping to settle her stomach. After a few minutes, when she was sure her stomach has settled, she got out of bed and walked into the kitchen to make Athosian tea. It had always settled her stomach, when she had been pregnant with Torren, so she hoped it would do the trick now.

She was sitting in the lazy boy, drinking her tea when John arrived home.

"Where is Torren?" She asked him, sipping on her tea.

"Dave's going to look after him this morning, so you can rest if you need to."

"Yes I fear I will need to go back to bed for a while this morning." Teyla explained to him, while sipping her tea.

"Are you sure you're okay. I can get Jennifer to come and look at you if you'd like?"

"John, do not worry. I will be okay. All you need to worry about over the next couple of days is flying us back to the Pegasus Galaxy."

"I have time for one last cup of coffee before I leave then."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John entered Woolsey's office at 0855 to find that General O'Neill was already there.

"Colonel you're early." Jack chuckled, shaking his hand.

John shook his hand and replied with a twinkle in his eye. "It appears that you're earlier than I am."

Woolsey just rolled his eyes at the two men, was there anyway that these two men could ever be serious.

"Okay now that we're all here, let's get started?" Woolsey suggested.

O'Neill looked at John and addressed him. "Colonel Sheppard the purpose of our little meeting this morning is to inform you, that when it comes to military decisions that are made on Atlantis, you will have the final say. In matters of the security of Atlantis, Colonels' Ellis, Caldwell and Carter, will yield to you."

John looked stunned; they had had trouble before when other officers that out ranked him had come in throwing their weight around. Now that they were all the same rank, the starship captains would have to answer to him in relation to Atlantis.

John stood up and saluted. "Yes sir, Thankyou sir."

Jack chuckled. "At ease Colonel and sit down before you fall down."

John sat down, before the General continued. "The only people you will have to answer to when it comes to military decisions are General Landry and I."

"Yes sir."

"Okay now that's out of the way, are you ready to fly Atlantis back home." The General asked him.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Okay you're dismissed then."

John wheeled himself out of Woolsey's office with a big grin on his face; it seemed as if today was going to be a very good day.

There was one more stop he had to make before heading to the chair room, so he headed to the infirmary to speak to Jennifer. She was sitting in her office doing some paperwork when he arrived.

Standing up he shuffled over and knocked on her door frame. "You got a minute Doc?"

She looked up and gestured to a chair in the corner. "Sit down Colonel. What can I do for you?"

"I'm really worried about Teyla; she looks worse now than she did when she woke up this morning."

"I'll look in on her once we're flying okay?" 

"Thanks Doc." He told her before standing up and shuffling towards his wheelchair.

It was time to head to the chair room they would be leaving earth in half an hours' time and he had no idea when he would be back. Not that it really mattered as he had his whole family with him on Atlantis now.

John Wheeled himself into the chair room to find that Rodney was already there working away. "How's it going McKay?" John asked.

"Everything is looking good. Are you ready Sheppard?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Yes, well sit in the chair, so I can check things one last time before we leave."

John wheeled himself to the chair and transferred himself over. He lay back and closed his eyes and the chair lit up. "What do you want me to check McKay?"

"Look for the inertial dampers."

John brought the specs up on McKay's screen and McKay muttered "Everything looks okay there. You know what I think we're ready to go."

John tapped his com. "Mr Woolsey, Sheppard here. Everything is ready to go down her sir."

"_Thank you Colonel I will be addressing everyone shortly and then we will be able to leave, Woolsey out."_

"Waiting for you command, Sheppard out."

Ten minutes later Woolsey's voice came over to open coms. "Attention, everyone. In a few minutes Atlantis will be leaving Earth and headed for the Pegasus Galaxy once again. For some of you, it will be your first time leaving Earth, or travelling into space. We will arrive at our new home, which has been designated F32- 123 in a little over thirty six hours. Flying the city will be Colonel John Sheppard and Dr Carson Beckett, who have both piloted the city before. There shouldn't be any disruptions to your normal routine, so just go about your usual activities." He paused, before speaking again. "Colonel Sheppard, Dr McKay you have a go."

*The com was disabled and John looked at Rodney. "Nice speech." He quipped.

Rodney just chuckled at his friend, when he remembered Sheppard had said the exact same thing when Woolsey first arrived on Atlantis.*

Sheppard closed his eyes and initialised the stardrive. Very soon a rumbling sound came from below the city. A few minutes later the city was rising from to ocean, about two minutes in they switched the cloak to a shield and five minutes later they hit the upper atmosphere and were in space.

Once they were in space Sheppard concentrated and activated the cities hyper drive and jumped into hyperspace. Travelling through hyperspace didn't take as much concentration as taking off or landing, so Sheppard relaxed a little and settled in for a long shift ahead of him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Dave was sitting with Torren in the mess hall when the stardrive activated. Torren looked at him with fear in his eyes.

"Wat dat Unca Dabe?" Torren asked him.

Dave picked him up and held him close. "Don't worry that's the sound of the engines starting up. Atlantis is a spaceship and we're flying home to the Pegasus Galaxy."

Torren looked at him, before saying anything. "New Athos."

"Yes New Athos is in the Pegasus galaxy. That's where you and your Momma come from."

"Daddy tum fom Earth."

"That's right Torren."

"Unca Dabe, where Momma and Daddy?"

"Daddy is flying the city and Momma's not feeling well at the moment."

Before Torren responded, he toddled over to the window. "Loot Unca Dabe, we're in sace."

Dave walked over to Torren and took his hand, looking out the window; he was amazed by what he saw. There were stars everywhere. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

"Wow." Was all that he could say, as he picked up Torren and stared, the next thing he knew they had picked up speed and entered hyperspace.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla was sitting drinking Athosian tea when the stardrive activated, she felt nauseous. The movement did nothing to her stomach, she sat there trying to settle her stomach, when they entered hyperspace she lost the battle and had to run to the bathroom, before she lost her stomach contents all over the floor. She hugged the toilet, as she finished emptying her stomach. I really need to see Jennifer now, she thought.

"Teyla to Jennifer, are you there?"

"_Yes Teyla, what can I do for you?"_

"I do not feel well, can I come down to see you?

"_Come down now. I'll be waiting, Keller out."_

I'll see you soon, Teyla out."

Teyla decided that it would probably be a good idea if Dave looked after Torren for a while longer, so she needed to contact him.

"Teyla to Dave are you there?"

"_Yes Teyla I'm here with Torren. How are you feeling?"_

"Im not well, I'm on my way to see Jennifer, can you look after Torren until after lunch please."

"_No problems let me know when you're feeling better, Dave out."_

"I will, Teyla out."

Teyla sighed and headed to the Infirmary.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Jennifer was checking the inventory, for the infirmary when Teyla called. They had many new supplies to put away.

Carson was asleep in his quarters, as he had to relieve Colonel Sheppard in the control chair in ten hours.

Five minutes after Teyla had called her she walked into the infirmary looking pale and shaky.

"Take a seat on the examination table and tell me what the problem is?" Jennifer asked, with concern.

"I do believe that I am with child." Teyla told her, lying down on the examination table.

"Oh." Jennifer replied and then went to look for a tray to take some blood samples.

"I'm going to take some blood samples and then I want you to stay here and rest. I think I'll hook you up to an IV as well, because you seem a little dehydrated."

Teyla nodded her consent and Jennifer hooked her up to the IV before taking blood samples.

"Try and get some rest. I'll let you know the results, as soon as I have them."

"Thanks, Jennifer." Teyla told her, as she closed her eyes. A few minutes later she was fast asleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Dave and Torren were still sitting in the mess hall when the lunch time crowed arrived. Dave had spent the morning telling Torren about his Daddy's earth background. Torren had been mesmerised, by the stories he was being told.

A deep voice interrupted him. "May I sit here?"

He looked up and saw that it was Dr James McKnight. "By all means, I was just telling Torren some stories about his Daddy."

"How is Colonel Sheppard?" James asked.

"He's doing really well. Other than his knees he's 100% healthy."

"Your brother really is a remarkable man. If I had been through everything that he has in the last few weeks, I would be an emotional mess."

"Our father always told us to toughen up when we started to whine or complain, I guess that has helped shaped the man he has become."

James looked at Torren and commented. "Torren is such a lucky little boy, to have Colonel Sheppard as a father and an uncle like you. I really think I'm going to miss my children. What about you Dave do you have any other family?"

"No John and his family are pretty much it, our mother died when I was sixteen and John was fourteen, our father died about two years ago now."

"Well here's to exploring the unknown then." James raised his glass and Dave responded by clicking his glass with James' glass.

"To the unknown." Dave replied

Torren picked up his Sippy cup and said "Unkno"

James and Dave both chuckled and Torren joined in not having any idea what he was laughing about.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla awoke feeling much better than she had earlier. She just lay there enjoying the peace and quiet. She was about to close her eyes and go back to sleep when Jennifer came in.

"How are you feeling Teyla?"

"I am feeling much better than I did this morning thankyou Jennifer."

"I have to results of your blood tests if you want to know."

Teyla nodded, she was pretty sure what the results would say, but she let Jennifer tell her anyway.

"Well I'm 100% sure that you are about five weeks pregnant. Do you want to be pregnant?" Jennifer asked her.

Teyla sighed. "It is a dream come true to be carrying John's child, but I just didn't expect it so soon."

"Have you two been using protection?" Jennifer blushed, as she asked such a personal question.

Teyla sighed again "Yes we have been, but the first couple of times we didn't. I guess I should have known that it could happen, because I was only with Kanaan once and Torren was conceived."

Jennifer looked at her again. "How do you think Colonel Sheppard will take the news?" 

"I really don't know. I guess I'll tell him when we arrive in Pegasus, so can you please keep it to yourself for now?"

"No problems, I will give you something to take when you're feeling nauseous and you should try and get as much rest as possible."

"Can I go now Jennifer?"

"Yes, I'll see you for a check-up once we've reached the Pegasus Galaxy."

"Thank you, Jennifer." Teyla told her, before heading out the door.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Carson entered the chair room ten hours after they had left earth, Radek followed a short time later. They were going to take over from Colonel Sheppard and Dr McKay.

"How's it going lad?" Carson asked, Rodney.

"Has it been ten hours already. It seems as if we've only just started?"

"It's time for you to get something to eat and then eight hours sleep." Carson instructed him.

Carson waked over to Sheppard and shook him gently. "Colonel, it's time to go to bed."

John sat up in the chair and looked around; when he saw Carson there he spoke to him. "Is ten hours up already Doc?"

"Yes Colonel, now it's time for you to get something to eat and have a good eight hours sleep."

"Okay Doc. It's pretty much on auto pilot at the moment, so there's not much to do." He said, transferring himself to his wheelchair.

"I'll see you in about ten hours Colonel, go and see that lovely family of yours." Carson suggested.

"Come on McKay let's go and have something to eat." Sheppard told him, as he wheeled himself out of the door.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla had just put Torren to bed when John arrived home. It had been a long day and she was feeling tired, she was hoping to go to be herself soon.

"Hi sweetie, how are you feeling this evening?" He asked taking her in to his lap."

"I am feeling much better thankyou honey."

"Well I'm totally wiped and think I need to go to bed, how about you?" John asked her, raising his eyebrow.

"Yes I am very tired and I think I would like to go to bed and sleep." She told him and wiggled her backside as she walked towards the bedroom.

John just smiled. "I think I'll check on Torren, before I come to bed."

John wheeled himself into Torrens room and checked to make sure that he was asleep. The little boy was fast asleep in his bed with his thumb in his mouth cuddling his bunny and plane. John smiled and pulled his blankets up further to keep him warm.

Wheeling himself into his bedroom he looked at Teyla and realised that she was fast asleep. He smiled as he climbed in beside her. Rolling over he set his alarm clock for 0500, he had to be in the chair room at 0600 tomorrow morning and he didn't want to be late. He put his com next to his bed in case there were any problems in the night.

He thought the lights down and then cuddled up to his wife, she sighed in her sleep and then her breathing evened out. John lay there for a while enjoying the sensation of his wife in his arms and then he fell into a deep sleep.

**Tbc…**

***This was said in season five episode two "The seed."**


	24. Chapter 24: A new home

**Chapter 24: A New home.**

John awoke the next morning to the beep, beep, beep of his alarm clock. He was so tempted to roll over and turn it off and wake Teyla. Teyla had one hand on his chest and one on his thigh, it seemed to be a favourite position of hers; his too. He sighed and gently removed her hands from his thigh and chest. He then tried to get out of bed, without waking her.

Once he was up, he went and had a quick shower, before dressing in his uniform. He found it incredibly hard to shuffle around the apartment, as his knees were really stiff and sore; there's no way I'm telling Carson, I don't need him mothering me today, there's still a lot of ground to cover, he thought.

Checking on Torren and finding that he was still fast asleep, cuddling his stuffed bunny and plane, he grabbed some toast and coffee from the kitchen, before leaving his apartment and heading down to the chair room.

Entering the chair room he found that McKay was already there. It appeared that he was having some sort of an argument with Zelenka.

"How long have you been here McKay?"

"Don't worry I've only just arrived. I'm just trying to convince Zelenka to go to bed."

"But Rodney, there seems to be an energy fluctuation in the stardrive." Zelenka explained forcefully.

"Yes and Colonel Sheppard and I will handle it." McKay replied, equally as forcefully.

"He's right we'll handle it. Why don't you and Carson go and get some rest." Sheppard told him. Wheeling over to Carson he shook him gently "Carson ten hours are up and it's time to get some rest."

Carson slowly opened his eyes and looked around the room; finally his eyes met John's. "There's a slight energy fluctuation in the stardrive, you may need to correct it manually."

"No problem Doc, McKay and I are on it."

Once Carson was out of the chair, he watched as John transferred himself over, he didn't miss the wince or the pain lines around his eyes.

"Are you okay son?" He asked him, with concern.

"I'm fine Doc." Sheppard ground out. "We still have a long way to go, so why don't you go and get some rest and le t me fly for a while."

Carson looked at John and decided that now wasn't the time to argue with him. "Okay son I'll see you in about eight hours then."

"See you then Carson, you to Zelenka."

Once Carson and Zelenka had left, John sat back in the control chair and continued to monitor the energy fluctuations, while still piloting the city.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla awoke at 6:30 to find that John had already gone. She climbed out of bed feeling a little queasy. Heading down the hall way she looked in on Torren and found that he was still fast asleep. Sighing she went to the kitchen and made a cup of Athosian tea, she then rummaged around in her bag for the pills Jennifer had given her the day before.

She didn't have a lot to do today, but she knew that once they reached Pegasus she would have plenty to keep her busy, so the last thing she needed was to feel washed out from being nauseous all the time.

She was making her tea, when a little voice interrupted her. "Momma, where Daddy?"

"Daddy is flying the city remember?"

He nodded before studying her face. "You kay momma?"

"Yes darling I am fine. I have just been a little bit unwell for a few days, now I am feeling better."

"Wen breakfast Momma?"

"We will go down to the mess hall and meet Uncle Dave when we're dressed okay."

"Me get dressed." Torren told her and toddled of to his room.

"Torren let me change your diaper first?"

"Okay Momma."

Teyla changed his diaper and chose his clothes for him, she left him alone to get dressed and went to have a shower and get dressed herself.

Thirty minutes later, she arrived in the lounge area, to find that Torren had indeed dressed himself. The only problem was that his top and shorts were both inside out and his t-shirt was on backwards. She smiled, looking at his hair it was all messy and sticking up, just the way John's always was.

"That was an excellent effort darling, but you forgot to turn your clothes in the right way." She explained to him.

He looked up at her tears brimming in his eyes. "Sowy Momma."

She smiled at her son. "That is okay Torren; these things take practice, even for big boys like you."

She helped him get dressed properly and then took his hand and headed out to breakfast.

The mess hall was pretty deserted when she arrived at 7:30. Most people had someplace to be. She spied Dave over by one of the windows staring into space; literally. Grabbing some food for her and Torren she headed over and joined him.

"Good morning Dave how are you this morning?"

Dave turned to look at her slowly. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of looking at this."

"It is quite breathtaking." Teyla agreed.

"What are you and T.J. doing today?"

"I was going to help set up one of the rooms, for a childcare room. That way once we reach our new home, there will be someplace we can leave Torren, while we work."

"Do you need me to look after T.J.?" He asked.

"Thank you Dave that will certainly make things easier for me."

The three of them sat enjoying their breakfast and each other's company. Breakfast was pancakes again, which made Torren very happy.

After breakfast Teyla headed to the infirmary to see Jennifer, she felt much better this morning, but Jennifer had contacted her during breakfast asking to see her.

Entering the infirmary she found that Jennifer was, finishing up with Lt Jenkins, who had obviously twisted his ankle. "Lieutenant, can you please be careful when you're running at 7:00 in the morning?"

"Sorry Doctor Keller." He apologised.

Keller gave the man some crutches and he hobbled out of the room.

"Jennifer, you wanted to see me?"

"First of all, how are you feeling this morning, Teyla?"

"I am much better, Thankyou Jennifer."

"That is good to know. The reason I needed to speak to you is I would like to ask you to be by maid of honour at our wedding."

Teyla looked at her friend and smiled. "I would be honoured. Have you set a date yet?"

"No, but I want it to take place on Earth. Maybe not too far in the future, as you'll be getting bigger around the middle before too long." Her eyes twinkled at her friend.

Teyla blushed. "Hopefully I will not get that big too soon, as I have not told John as yet."

Jennifer smiled at her friend. She was really happy that Teyla and John were so happy together, they had both endured horrendous adversity, to finally be together.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Todd sat in his holding cell; he'd just finished his breakfast; Pancakes and maple syrup. He was really beginning to enjoy this human food and wondered what he would do when the humans returned him to his hive.

He had been sensing an additional wraith presence for the last few days, a very weak one. It took him a while to realise that Teyla was with child. He sensed that her mate hadn't been told, as yet and he had no intention of telling anyone.

Kanaan was still sitting in the next holding cell muttering his plans of revenge against JJohn SShheppard.

"I will kill him, Teyla and Torren will be mine." He muttered over and over again.

"Will you pleassse ssshut uppp." Todd hissed at him.

"I will not, Teyla and Torren _will be mine_ forever!" Kanaan spoke with incredible anger and bitterness in his voice.

"You're delusional, if you ever think they'll go for you after what you did to JJohn SShheppard." Todd growled at him.

"They _will be mine!" _He screamed at Todd.

Todd got as close to the bars as he dared. "If you lay a finger on Teyla, her off spring or her mate, _I will kill you! _" Todd quietly hissed at him.

Kanaan was frightened by the tone in Todd's voice, so he backed off and started muttering to himself again.

Todd went back to his quiet meditation and then suddenly he felt it, the presence of more wraith. They had crossed into the Pegasus Galaxy.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Eight hours after John had taken over the flying the city, he was so connected to Atlantis and her systems that he didn't want to leave. Atlantis was whispering to him and helping him stabilise the erroneous energy readings in the stardrive. He knew that he was the only one that could safely fly the city all the way to F32- 123 and land her safely.

Carson and Radek entered the room ready to take over. "Okay McKay it's time to rest." Carson instructed him.

"I can't do that and neither can Sheppard."

"What do you mean lad? You both need some rest." Carson told him with confusion in his eyes.

"Sheppard is adjusting the power flow manually, the problem with the erroneous energy readings are getting worse. If he disconnects now, we could have a big problem, as in Atlantis could explode in space."

"Well in that case, I'll need to monitor his vitals." Carson explained, with concern for Sheppard's wellbeing.

"If that's what you need to do, go right ahead." Rodney mumbled.

Zelenka looked at Rodney and spoke. "I can keep an eye on things here, why don't you go and get some rest."

"You can stay if you want Radek, but I'm not going anywhere, I need to monitor what Sheppard is doing." Rodney told him forcefully.

"Okay everyone can stay, but I'm calling a medical team." Carson spat out and then tapped his earpiece.

"Beckett to Keller, come, in."

"_I'm here Carson, what can I do for you."_

"I need you to come to the gate room with and IV kit, a blood pressure cuff. How about you just bring everything you'd need in an emergency."

"_What's going on Carson?"_

John can't leave the control chair at the moment and considering we have sixteen hours left to go, I want to monitor his vitals."

"_Okay, I'll let Teyla know what's going on and then I'll be there, Jennifer out._

"Don't take too long, Carson out."

Carson looked around at the people in the room; they were all engrossed in their work. He stood next to John and took his pulse. Now we wait he thought.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla was helping Jane Raven; one of the new childcare workers, fix up the childcare room when the call came in from Jennifer.

"Go ahead Jennifer."

"_Colonel Sheppard is stuck monitoring systems in the control chair, he'll have to stay there for the next sixteen hours. I'm heading down there now and Carson and I will be monitoring his vitals." _

"Thank you for letting me know, can you keep me informed of any problems, Teyla out."

"_I'll give you an update when I know what's going on, Jennifer out."_

When Teyla had finished the call, Jane looked at her and asked. "Is everything okay Mrs Sheppard?"

"Yes everything is fine Jane, but I will have to go and pick up Torren from his Uncle's quarters shortly and please call me Teyla?"

"Okay Teyla thank you for your help today."

"I will see you tomorrow Jane."

Teyla left the other woman standing in the middle of the room as she rushed out, she really must see Dave now and ask him to look after Torren a bit longer. She really felt as if she needed to be with John right now.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Jennifer rushed into the chair room anxious to see her patient. John was still laying back in the chair, his brow furrowed in concentration. "How is he Carson?"

"His pulse in a little fast, but it's strong. I don't see any problems at this stage. "Carson told her, before issuing instructions to the medical personnel. "Hook him up to an IV and the heart monitor, I think I will need to keep an eye on his brain activity, so we'll need to hook him up to an EEG Monitor as well and I think we'll insert a feeding tube as well, who knows how long it will be before he has a chance to east anything?"

"I'll have to go back and get the portable EEG machine and a feeding tube," one of the nurses told him.

"Be as quick as you can, I really need to know what's going on with his brain as soon as possible." Carson instructed her.

As his nurse left, Carson looked at John in the chair, he could see the pain lines forming around his eyes and he knew that the next sixteen hours were going to be long and laborious for all of them.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla arrived at Dave's quarters in record time. Thinking back she realised that she could have just used the Com to contact him, but she was worried about John and wasn't thinking straight.

Arriving at his quarters, she pushed the door chime. Dave came over to the door almost straight away.

"Hey Teyla, I've just been playing with this life signs detector, apparently I have the ancient gene as well. Not as strong as John's, but as strong as Jack's"

"That's wonderful news Dave, but I need to ask you a favour."

"Sure Teyla, what is it?"

"Can you look after Torren for a while longer, John needs to stay in the chair for the next sixteen hours and I'd like to be with him for a while?"

"No problems, he asleep at the moment, but I'll take him down for his dinner when he wakes up, let me know when you can come and collect him."

"Thank you Dave," she told him, kissing him on the cheek.

Leaving Dave's quarters she headed straight for the chair room.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John was aware of everything that was going on around him. He felt the IV being inserted in to his hand; he felt the leads from the heart monitor being connected to his chest and the leads for the EEG machine being connected to his temple. He almost gagged when the feeding tube was inserted down his throat.

He knew that there was nothing he could do about it now. Atlantis was whispering instructions to him. In fact Atlantis' voice was becoming stronger and louder, to the point where what was happening around him was beginning to fade into the background. He had to monitor these power fluctuations or all of Atlantis could be destroyed and he wasn't going to let that happen.

The last thing that he felt before he gave himself totally over to Atlantis was Teyla's soft silky hand taking his. He just smiled and let Atlantis take full control over him.

**XX XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Teyla rushed into the chair room in time to see John being hooked up to all sorts of monitors.

"What is going on?" she asked, staring at the activity that was going on around John.

"Don't worry Teyla?" Jennifer reassured her, "we're just monitoring his vitals."

"That is not what I mean. Why can he not disconnect himself from the control chair?"

It was Rodney who answered her question. "There is a huge problem with the power flow to the stardrive. Sheppard is correcting it manually."

"Why can you not fix it?" Teyla asked him, still staring at John.

"We could drop out of hyperspace and repair it, but we can't deactivate the chair unless Sheppard does it. We don't know what will happen to him if we pull him out." Rodney explained.

"Oh," was all that Teyla said, as she went over to hold John's hand. She looked up into his face and noticed that there was blood gushing out of his nose. "Dr Beckett should his nose, be bleeding like that?"

"Dam it." Carson muttered as he rushed to John's side. "Get me something to stop this bleeding?" He ordered.

One of his nurses gave him some gauze, which he held up to John's nose. Eventually it stopped, but Carson didn't miss the concentration and pain lines around his eyes.

"I don't like this. I hope he lasts the sixteen hours." Carson muttered.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Ten hours later and nothing had changed; in fact things had gotten slightly worse for John. Carson and Teyla had gone to their quarters for a rest and Rodney was asleep at one of the computers. Radek was monitoring the systems and Jennifer was monitoring John's condition.

His blood pressure was high and his breathing was laboured. John's nose had been bleeding on an off the entire time and Jennifer was beginning to worry that they might have to give him a blood transfusion, when this was all over.

Suddenly, his blood pressure dropped and his breathing evened out. The pain lines around his eyes began to ease. Jennifer sighed with relief, things were looking good for now.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John was still communicating with Atlantis, but he was really beginning to feel weary and he wanted out.

He heard a gentle voice speaking to him and looking around the darkness, he saw nothing.

"John, do not worry, just relax and let me help you?"

"Who are you?" He whispered.

"I am Atlantis. You know that I am an AI, but what you don't know is that I have an interface that can be activated by using the control chair."

"Why haven't I been able to access it until now?"

"It takes deep concentration and you haven't had to concentrate this hard before." Atlantis whispered.

"What do you want me to do?" John asked, softly.

"Just try and relax and I will help as much as I can." Atlantis told him.

John relaxed into the caress of Atlantis and he felt much better. Better than he had for a while.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Six hours later Carson was back in the chair room monitoring John. Jennifer and Radek had left to get some rest. John's vitals were still steady, but he'd shown no sign of being aware of their presence.

Teyla had joined them in the chair room for the last few hours. She just sat there holding John's hand.

Woolsey's voice came over the com to make an announcement. "Ladies and Gentlemen we have arrived at our new home. Within ten minutes we will be landing on this world, we have chosen to land close to the mainland. I will address you again when the city has safely landed thank you."

Rodney walked over to John and spoke directly in his ear. "Are you ready to land this bird?"

Rodney looked straight and him and saw the slight nod off his head. "Let's do it then Sheppard."

Rodney watched the computer as Atlantis slowly began its decent, while Carson watched John's vital signs.

"The decent is looking good." Rodney commented.

"Blood pressure elevated and his pulse is a little fast." Carson commented, looking at the pain lines returning around John's eyes.

"Our descent is still looking good."

"Dam it his blood pressure is still rising and his nose is bleeding again." Carson told him, grabbing some gauze.

"Come on Sheppard almost there." Rodney encouraged him.

"Hang on a little longer son." Carson encouraged.

A few minutes later a cheer went up around the chair room, as they felt Atlantis gently touch down in the ocean.

Woolsey's voice came over the open com. "Ladies and gentlemen welcome to your new home."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Dave and Torren were sitting in the mess hall when the descent began. Torren was a little scared and clung to Dave as if his life depended on it.

Dave was totally mesmerised by the dark black of space turning to a dark shade of blue, as they entered the upper atmosphere. The shield was glowing and there was a bright streak of light tailing behind them, the dark blue gave way to a lighter blue, as they continued to descend. A little further down he saw white fluffy clouds on the horizon and finally, as they neared the ocean, he saw the land in the distance.

He got up and walked over to the window, just as Atlantis touched down on the ocean. Once he was sure they had set down he spoke to Torren.

"T.J., look we've landed."

Woolsey's voice came over the open com. "Ladies and gentlemen welcome to your new home."

"Home?" Torren questioned him.

Dave was amazed, that was the first time that he'd heard Torren speak that work correctly.

"Yes T.J., this is our new home."

"We see, Momma and Daddy?"

"Soon T.J., but let's have a look outside first shall we?"

The boy nodded and Torren and Dave walked out on the balcony together, to take their first look at what lay outside the window. They were not the only ones; soon the balcony was full of people taking in the beautiful sight.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John knew that it was going to be difficult to land the city, because of the power fluctuations. He was absolutely exhausted and he knew that the only way he was going to be able to do it was with Atlantis' help.

"Atlantis, are you there?" He whispered.

"Yes John I am always with you." She replied softly.

"I'm really going to need help landing." John whispered.

"Just relax and let it happen."

So John relaxed the best he could under the circumstances. When Rodney told him it was time to land he nodded slightly and concentrated on landing.

It was one of the most difficult things he had to do even with Atlantis' help, the power fluctuations were getting worse and he almost lost concentration on several occasions. Finally he set Atlantis down gently on the ocean and he could relax a little, but there was one last thing he had to do. On Woolsey's request he switched the shield to a cloak.

When he opened his eyes and sat up, Teyla, Rodney and Carson were looking at him with concerned looks.

"I did it," he whispered, before closing his eyes and falling forward.

He would have face planted if Rodney and Carson hadn't caught him and lowered him to the ground.

"Bring that gurney over here and let's get him to the infirmary?" Carson instructed one of his medical team.

They loaded him on to the gurney and headed to the infirmary, John's job was done and now he could get some much needed rest.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Later in the infirmary, Teyla was sitting next to John and holding his hand, when Dave came in with Torren.

"Daddy kay?" Torren asked.

"He's fine sweetheart, he's just very tired and Carson wants him to sleep here for a while" Teyla reassured him. 

"Do we know what happened with the power systems?" Dave asked, placing Torren on the bed and taking John's other hand.

"At this point it looks like a simple malfunction, but Rodney and Radek are still looking into it." Teyla explained.

Torren suddenly spoke. "We're home."

Teyla was amazed by the new word that her son had pronounced correctly. "Yes sweetheart we are home." He was growing up so fast, he was nearly nineteen months old now and in about eight months he would be a big brother.

"Me seep with Daddy?"

"You can for now sweetheart." Teyla told her son; John's son.

Torren was soon asleep next to his father. She looked down at her sleeping boys and thought how lucky she was to have John and Torren, and soon there would be another to share their lives as well.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

John sat in his wheelchair, on his balcony overlooking the ocean; it was the end of another beautiful day in Pegasus. The Sun was just sinking below the horizon and the sky was the most amazing shade of crimson he'd ever seen. The last rays of sunlight were glinting of the ocean and there was a gentle breeze in the air.

Up above the stars were beginning to shine. They were beautiful, but the constellations were very different to the one's he'd been looking at on Earth. He could see the mainland in the distance; it was a dark shadow in the fading light. There wasn't a sound to be heard except for the gentle whispering of the breeze and the gentle lapping of the ocean.

He sighed, as this moment couldn't be more perfect, after the events of the last week or so. After arriving on the planet, he had spent three days in the infirmary sleeping, while Woolsey and Teyla had made contact with the Athosians and the Coalition of planets. Things hadn't changed a lot in the five weeks that they had been gone. Over the following few day's they had handed Kanaan over to Halling, to let him decide what to do with him. Todd had been dropped off on a Wraith planet, to try and contact one of his hives. He'd made a promise to try and convince one of his hives to let them test their new and improved retrovirus on them.

He came back to the present revelling in the peace and quiet. Torren was with Dave for the night, so when Teyla returned from her duties, they would have some quality time together.

He was due in the infirmary tomorrow for surgery on his knees, so he had every intention of enjoying his time alone with Teyla. They had discussed a bonding ceremony when he was healed and they had both decided that it would be nice to go on a honeymoon to Maui, on Earth. Woolsey had already approved time off for both of them.

He was startled from his musings by Teyla coming up and putting her arms around him. "How are you this evening my love?" She asked him, whispering in his ear.

"I can't think of anything that would make this moment any more perfect." He whispered, staring at the last rays of the sun, as it sank below the horizon.

Teyla looked at him knowing that she had to tell him her news and that there was no time like the present.

"John, Honey there has been something I've wanted to discuss with you for a while now."

"What is it Sweetie?" He asked, looking at her and taking her hand.

"Do you remember before we left Earth that I was feeling sick a lot of the time?"

He nodded. "Sure I do, but it was just a virus right? Jennifer checked you out didn't she?"

Teyla nodded and took a deep breath before continuing. "Well it wasn't a virus."

John looked at her with confusion on his face. "What was it then?"

Teyla looked at him a smile spreading across her face. "Well it appears that I am with child."

John sat their stunned; he didn't quite know what to say for a moment. "You're having a baby, my baby." He stammered, not quite believing what he had just heard. Tears filled his eyes, as he contemplated what this meant for them.

Teyla misunderstood the tears. "Are you not happy, do you not want to have a child with me?"

John grabbed her hands and looked her in the eye. "These are tears of joy Teyla, there's nothing I want more, than for you to have my baby." He took a deep breath to settle his beating heart. "How far along are you?"

"Jennifer says that I am about six weeks." Teyla explained.

John looked at her with excitement in her eyes. "Wow, I'm going to be a dad." He thought he saw hurt in Teyla's eyes, so he continued on. "I mean I'm already Torren's Dad, but this will be my first biological child." He explained to her.

"I understand what you mean John." She smiled at him

He pulled her onto his lap and put his arms around her. "I said before that I couldn't think of anything that would make a moment more perfect, well I was wrong. The news of a baby has suddenly made this moment, the most perfect moment."

He looked at her and noticed that she had tears streaming down her face.

"Are you okay Sweetie?" He asked her.

"I have never been better Honey."

They sat there in silence listening to the gentle lapping of the ocean and looking at the stars twinkling above.

Looking to the horizon he saw a shooting star.

I don't have to make a wish, he thought. All my wishes have come true.

**Fin…**

**I hope you have enjoyed reading this story, as much as I've enjoyed writing it**.

**Look out for "Pegasus our home." Coming soon.**

**Thank you to all those readers that have stayed with me until the end of this story. I've really appreciated your comments and reviews.**


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